The Only Exception
by cat.gone.astray
Summary: He thinks she's annoying, but strangely curious about her. She thinks he's a snob, but finds his presence comforting. He said he doesn't need friendship, but craves it from her. She realized she's falling, but willed herself to stand. They are a contradiction. A story of how a new girl managed to thaw the frozen heart of the ice king of Shohoku.
1. Chapter 1

The Only Exception

 **Author's Note:** Hi! This is my very first ever story in the world of fanfic. As a result of my idleness and 'chronic' day dreaming in the office, this fic was born. Hope you enjoy reading!

 **Disclaimer:** Slam Dunk is not mine.

Chapter 1: The Unexpected Musings of a Fox

 _"Who the bloody hell is making that horrible sound?"_

Rukawa was jostled awake from his slumber, a frown forming on his usually stoic face. He was supposed to enjoy the cool air brought by the spring season by taking his regular nap in the rooftop after lunch, but instead, some idiot decided to take his sanctuary and make it as her own concert arena, with him as the unwilling audience. He concluded the owner of the disembodied voice was a she, with her sounding like a banshee and all.

If there is one thing Rukawa hates, besides losing in a basketball match, and that red haired idiot; it is being disturbed from his sleep. Those who dared ended up dead.

" _Well, mostly beaten up_." He mused, recalling the battered condition he left his alarm clock this morning.

Rukawa tried blocking the noise coming from the opposite side of the stairwell wall, but failed. Every sound that she's making is slowly getting into his nerves. She's now using her water bottle to function as some sort of percussion instrument, beating it furiously on the floor, totally not in rhythm with her singing. He's contemplating on ending both their suffering, thinking of ways to shut her up without confrontation and physical injury. He can give her his infamous glare, as majority of them either passed out or got scared whenever they became the receiving end of his evil eye. _"Good idea"_ he thought... Now, if only he could command his body to cooperate and rise up, he could finally get rid of this nuisance and continue with his sleep. But laziness overpowered his lack of patience, so he remains lying on the floor. After all, he was not only famous for being the ace of Shohoku, but also well-known for his tardiness, so he's not going to inconvenience himself just because of some girl with an annoying voice.

Fortunately, his misery was saved by the bell, signalling the end of lunch. He could hear the girl scrambling to her feet and darting out to the door.

And then there was silence. Rukawa basked in his glorious moment of solitude.

"Ah, peace at last."He muttered and resumes his dreamless slumber.

 _XXXXX_

 _"He who sings scares away his woes."_

Rukawa thought randomly.

Seriously, he's quoting Don Quixote now? Who's next, Shakespeare? Rukawa rubbed his face with both of his hands in irritation. His sleep deprived state was definitely messing with his brain.

For the second time this week, his much sought after nap was once again disrupted by the same troublesome girl. He was unsure whether the girl's mission in life was to annoy the hell out of him, or to confuse the hell out of him.

Sitting upright, with his head resting on the wall behind him, Rukawa tried to focused his attention on the moving clouds above him. " _Is that cumulus? Or cirrus?"_

Another sob was heard.

Rukawa closed his eyes, furrowed his brows, and felt an unfamiliar sense of discomfort. His face may be lacking emotions most of the time, but that doesn't mean he's completely heartless. Yesterday's event was a concrete proof of that, when he showed mercy at her awful voice and song choice.

But this time, it was difficult and would be considered extremely cruel of him to think of ways to silence her up. Given a choice, he would prefer listening to her belting out crap music than hearing her gut wrenching sobs. It's sad and tragic and it's making him uncomfortable.

Not able to withstand another bout of her crying feat, he got up from his sitting position, and decided to escape this awkward feeling of helplessness.

 _"A body at rest will remain at rest, unless an external force acts upon it."_

" _Huh."_ He's becoming quite an 'intellectual' when she's around. Maybe he should stay behind, ask her who the author behind those words is. Maybe that would finally put an end to her cyring.

 _"Nah. Who gives a shit?"_ Rukawa thought, irritated at his ridiculous musings.

As he headed towards the door, leading down to the staircase, a petite girl wearing too many pink ribbons on her hair, suddenly appeared out of the doorway. She let out a loud shriek when she saw him standing no more than two meters away from her.

 _"Great. Another shrieking girl."_

The crying suddenly ceased. And the silence was then replaced by the stuttering girl in front of him.

"R-Rukawa S-sem-p-pai."

He stood motionless, his eyes piercing on the girl in front of him, her face oddly becoming the same color as the 'gazillions' of ribbons perched on her hair. Resisting the urge to push her away from the door, he gave her one of his withering glare instead.

But it produced an opposite reaction. Instead of scaring her, it seems to motivate her. The girl took another step towards him, closing the distance. Fiddling with her thumbs, she looks up at him, her large green eyes suddenly gazing at him. He stiffened, distracted by the color of her eyes.

Those eyes reminded him of the moss covered wall in the neighborhood where he occasionally and 'accidentally' rammed his bike on the way home.

The girl tried to smile subtly, but it didn't miss his observant eyes. He put two and two together. The constant blinking and fluttering of her eyelashes…

 _"No way in hell."_

She assumed that his distraction on the color of her eyes translates to something else; fascination.

This time, when she spoke his name, it sounded more confident. A complete 360 degrees turn from her previous attitude.

"Rukawa -sempai, as you may know, our drama club is organizing a school play for the annual festival, and we've decided that you are perfect for the role of one of the characters." She told him matter-of-factly.

As she continued to babble on about the play, Rukawa's mind was a jumble of mess.

 _"Me? On a freaking school play?! She's gone cracked."_

"Get out of my way." He told her before adding in an afterthought, " _Before I lose my temper and tie you upside down with those ribbons of yours."_

Her eyes widened in shock, and this time, her response looks real. The death glare, it seems, is still working after all. He thought he was getting rusty.

"B-but don't you wanna know which part was offered-" He shot her down with another glare.

He was about to move past her, when she suddenly covered her eyes and wailed rather loudly.

He groaned. _"Why me?"_

W-why do y-you have to be so r-ruthless? I didn't do anything wrong to you for me to be treated this way." She said in between sobs.

Rukawa runs his right hand through his messy black hair, frustrated beyond means. _"She was guilt tripping him, now?"_

As she continued to sob relentlessly, Rukawa couldn't help but compare the cries she heard a while ago from anonymous girl, to the ones made by moss-eyed girl in front of him. Not that he was an expert in distinguishing cries, but this one sounded force. Even fake. So unlikely from the melancholy cries made by the mystery rooftop concert queen.

"Stop wasting my time." He finally muttered and shoved her away from the door, having enough of these two girl's drama.

 _"Why am I always surrounded by crackheads?"_ He complained to no one as he grudgingly took the steps from the staircase.

As he headed back to the classroom, he took no notice of the posters and club announcements pinned on the bulletin board. It does not concern him anyway.

Plastered on the center of the board was a large pink-colored poster which states:

 **The drama club wants you!**

 **We will be holding auditions for our school play entitled Sleeping Beauty;**

 **this coming Friday, at 3 pm, in the school auditorium.**

 **If interested, please register your name below.**

 **Hope to see you there!**

And written below the registration list, in scrawny handwriting and big bold letters, was the name:

 **KAEDE RUKAWA.**

XXXXX

So, what do you think? Please review! Thank you! (=^_^=)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Slam Dunk belongs to Inoue Takehiko.

Chapter 2: Just a Matter of Curiosity

Rukawa's steps faltered, not quite sure if he's in the correct classroom. He glanced at the wooden signage above the door indicating the year and section, in case he made a mistake of entering the wrong class because he was still too sleepy.

The signboard reads 2-D.

If his memory serves him right, then this is _his_ class.

After a brief hesitation, Rukawa entered the war zone, and regretted it almost immediately.

The classroom was in utter chaos. Students were throwing bits of paper on each other; a group of rowdy boys were hitting each other's behind with a broom for fun, carefree laughter and vibrant chatters echoed throughout the room.

Rukawa took his seat at the end of the room near the exit, ignoring the stares and giggles he usually received from his female classmates.

" _What the heck is so funny anyway?_ " Rukawa thought, annoyed with their nonstop giggling.

"Hideyaki-sensei is not around." said a bespectacled boy sitting on his left.

 _"No shit, Sherlock"_ Rukawa disregard his seatmate's "earth shattering" discovery and laid his head on his desk to sleep, pulling out his earphones from his bag and plugging them on both of his ears to tune out the background noises. He's definitely prepared now, in case he experienced another one of her concierto in the rooftop. Or worst, her crying session. The discman will definitely save his eardrums. But he begins to doubt whether she will still hangout in the rooftop, after that rather awkward scene yesterday. Or maybe, she's just doing them on purpose, had known all along that the rooftop is his favorite spot to sleep, and was just acting to get his attention. Her plan worked alright. She got him curious. It was extremely out of character of him to overthink things, more so if it involves a girl. Whatever. He needs to stop this nonsense now, and focus on much greater stuff. Like basketball.

As Rukawa pondered on his plan to be the number one player in Japan, an all too familiar and irritatingly boisterous laugh broke his reverie. Even _his_ earphones cannot block that laugh.

"Nyahahahaha!"

 _"What the hell?"_

Rukawa removed his earphones and shifted his gaze, confirming his worst suspicions. Standing in the front of the class is the self-proclaimed "Tensai" himself, Hanamichi Sakuragi. Surrounding him were his equally annoying minions. It's no wonder the room was bustling like a busy marketplace, the king of chaos and his henchmen were present. And where there is anarchy, expect that redhead to be the instigator.

Rukawa cursed the day he enrolled in Shohoku High. Out of all the schools in Kanagawa region, he had to be with that Dou Ahou. Tolerating his idiosyncrasies during basketball practice was already an extreme sacrifice on his part, but having to experience it for a whole day, in a week, in his entire sophomore year, is absolutely nerve wracking. He should have transferred to America like he initially planned. It will probably save himself from losing his sanity.

 _"Now,wait a second."_

When did he and that idiot share the same class? Sure, he's dozing off most of the time during class,but that flaming hair and disgusting laugh will be too difficult not to notice. It's been almost three weeks since school started, and so far, he had never seen him in his class…until now.

Why did that redhead have to pick the very same room he was in to sow terror and disorder?

Another howls of laughter were heard in the room. Sakuragi and his cohorts were engaged in some sort of arm wrestling, on the teacher's desk nonetheless. The redhead gave out a loud yelp when he received a poke on his side, losing his concentration.

"Hey! No tickling!" Sakuragi protested.

Rukawa decided it would be better for his sanity to just leave the room, before he got infected with their idiocy. Preparing to ditch class, a distinct voice stopped him from moving from his seat.

"You lose, Hanamichi! A deal's a deal! You have to live up to your end of the bargain."

Amid all the commotion in the classroom, he still recognized that voice from anyone else. After all, it haunts him these past few days. Heck, even that song she was singing got stuck on his head, experiencing LSS as he cycle on his way home.

Rukawa's head snapped to the direction of the sound, and saw an unfamiliar girl with short dark hair joining the fray. She stands with her back turned to him, her shoulders shaking with irrepressible mirth, apparently finding the Dou Ahou's antics hilarious. She was bent over, clutching her stomach and laughing loudly in an unladylike manner.

"I can't for the life of me figure out how they can stand that slapstick comedy." Rukawa's intrusive seatmate commented.

 _"Nobody's talking to you."_ He gave the specs boy a cold hard death glare to convey his thoughts. The boy shuddered and diverted his attention somewhere else.

Again, he took a casual glance towards the girl and found her still laughing her head off at something the Dou Ahou is saying. What's with her? Just yesterday, she's crying her heart out like Moaning Myrtle, now, she's Little Miss Sunshine personified. As Rukawa began to question the girl's multiple personality disorder, and why she hangs out with those slackers, the teacher came in.

"Okay class, get back to your seats!"

Students scrambled to get back to their seats, and Rukawa finally caught a glimpse of her. As the short-haired, pale skinned girl headed on his direction, she chanced a glance up, and her chocolate coloured orbs locked up with his ocean blue eyes. She staggered a bit, stunned to find him awake and looking at her pensively. A series of emotions crossed her face, from surprised to embarrassed and then to frustration. Rukawa doesn't know what to make of it.

She took her seat in front of specs boy.

 _"Huh."_ All this time, the shrieking girl was just in front of him.

"Good morning class. As all of you have noticed and might I add, have taken advantage of the situation that Hideyaki-sensei is not around, I will be your substitute teacher for now until Hideyaki-san's health fully recovered. He called in sick today; doctor's given him two weeks of bedrest."

"Lucky old man." Sakuragi commented.

"I wouldn't exactly refer to his situation as lucky, with all the tubes and wires running into his body. The term mostly appropriate, I think, is _blessed_ , that his well-being is not in critical condition. Am I right, Sakuragi-san?"

"You are right, as always, Yamada-Sensei." Sakuragi replied cheekily. Small crumpled pieces of papers were thrown on his face by his so called legion, making fun of him.

"Oi, oi, Hanamichi, stop flirting with the sensei!" A guy with a slick black hair remarked in a teasing manner. Rukawa remembered him as the guy who beat up Mitsui during the brawl at the gym last year.

"I thought you only had your eyes on Haruko-chan, you two-timer!" Another student shouted.

The pretty brunette teacher adjusted her eyeglasses, and regarded the redhead in a thoughtful expression. "And I am completely _certain,_ that you are in the wrong classroom, Sakuragi Hanamichi. I believe you belong in section 2-E."

The class erupted in laughter.

"Busted!" anonymous rooftop girl piped up.

"Awww, can I just stay transfer to this class?" Another round of crumpled papers flew on Sakuragi's direction.

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"B-But you're my favorite teacher" Sakuragi replied as if his whining will help in his case.

"Why, thank you, Sakuragi-san. That remark sure do wonders on boosting my morale.. Unfortunately, the answer is still no; you cannot transfer to this class." She then turned her attention to the student seated beside the redhead. "And the same goes for you, Yohei Mito. You're in section 2-C, if I'm not mistaken."

Sakuragi let out a loud laugh. "Nyahahaha! If I go down, you go down with me!"

"Dude, why did you have to open that big mouth of yours in the first place?" Yohei complained.

"Why you - "

"Now, now, time for both of you to return to your respective classes."

"Bummer." Sakuragi mumbled. He raised his hand and gave a wave, before tucking his hands in his side pockets and walking out of the room.

"See yah later." Yohei specifically directed his comment to the nameless girl, who gave a short nod.

"Okay… So, we only have a few minutes left before your first period starts, so let's commence with the class attendance." As the teacher began the roll call, Rukawa keeps an eye on her out of his peripherals, waiting for her name to be called. He didn't quite understand this sudden curiosity on her; this impulse to know the name behind the face.

"Amano Hiroshi." Rukawa's meddlesome seatmate answered.

"Hai!"

"Azuma Tomiko."

"Hai!"

"Chuichirou Noma."

"Reporting for duty, sensei!" A guy with moustache raised one of his hand and loudly answered.

Rukawa paid no heed to the stares he's receiving from his classmates, except from the raven haired girl. He noticed her sneaking a peek at him over her shoulder. He put his elbows on the desk, rested his chin on his right fist, and for the second time that day, his eyes bore into hers. Again, he was rewarded by the reddening of her cheeks. She huffed and turned her attention back to the teacher.

"Nozomi Takamiya."

"Prshent!" one bulky guy responded unclearly as his mouth was stuffed with food.

Almost three-fourths of his classmates were already called.

 _"Is she even from this class?"_ He thought before mentally berating himself for his sudden curiosity in that mere slip of a girl.

"Rukawa Kaede."

Silence filled the room, anticipating his reaction. Yamada-sensei looked up from her list to validate her student's attendance and did a double take when she saw him awake.

"Hai." He answered disinterestedly.

And just like that, the room went wild. His hordes of fan girls started screaming when they heard him respond to the teacher's call. Some guys had their jaws hanging open in bewilderment. His eyes narrowed at their reaction.

 _"What's their deal?"_ Rukawa leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms on his chest. He saw one girl sitting two rows ahead of him raised her notebook, showing the words "I heart you" written in capital letters with loads of heart shaped doodles scattered on it. He quickly glanced away.

"My, My. Rukawa-san's looking all vibrant and lively today. Finally got tired of sleeping, I presume?" The teacher asked jokingly before returning her focus back on the student's list on her desk. She resumes with the checking of attendance.

Rukawa closed his eyes, just listening to the voices.

Half a minute passed…and then..

"Yohei Mizuki."

"Here." Her soft voice was heard, a far cry from the ear-piercing sounds she made in the rooftop the other day.

"Yuji Ohkosu."

"Hai!"

As the teacher completed checking the attendance, she then called on the class representative, who turned out to be his nosy body of a seatmate; to make some school announcements. As the rest of the class listened to the announcements, Rukawa's mind was somewhere else.

 _"Yohei? That sounds strangely familiar."_ In fact, he's positive he heard Yasuda-sensei mentioned that name a while ago.

An image of a boy with too much hair gel popped onto his mind. "Ah, right. That guy."

Yohei…He wondered about the similarity of their last name... _"His cousin, perhaps…or maybe…his twin sister?"_

His eyes wandered on the object of his scrutiny, his gaze lingering on her face, trying to find out if gel boy and her were indeed identical twins. Same short raven hair, but hers was cut in layers, and bangs covered her forehead, shielding her brown eyes as she sat with her head bowed, scribbling on her notebook. Her posture was quite stiff, even looking self-conscious. He saw her discreetly peeked at him for the nth time. She blushed again when he caught her, and unconsciously tugged at the bangs on her forehead. He suddenly wanted to get rid of those awful bangs, so he can see her face clearly.

All of a sudden, the girl shifted from her seat, turned to face him with an evil smirk, and put one of her index finger on the bottom right side of her mouth. Surprised by her unexpected and bold move, Rukawa's eyes slightly widened. She's mouthing something to him, with her index finger still pointing on the right side of her lips, but he doesn't understand what she's trying to say. She turned back to her desk, and writes something on her notebook.

 _"What is she trying to say?"_

Is this another 'I heart you' confession? Or another invitation to join a school play?

The guy sitting in front of him sneaked a peek on the words she's scribbling on her notebook, and let out a loud gasp. He looked back at Rukawa nervously, afraid that he will 'once again' become the receiving end of their Ace's wrath once he discovered what she's written.

Yamada-sensei glanced up on their direction, having heard the loud gasp. "Is everything okay in there, Satoshi-san?" She asked.

"Ummm, m-may I please be excused, Sensei? I n-need to go to the loo."

The teacher studied the stuttering lanky guy, her keen eyes darting from him to the sleepy troublemaker boy seated behind him, before giving him permission. Satoshi immediately run out of the room.

As the class representative continued on with his boring announcements, she turned to him again, both hands holding the notebook open on her lap, revealing the contents for him to read.

Rukawa blinked. His eyes scanning the words she had written with unreadable emotion.

You have drools running down your chin, 'Sleeping Beauty'

His eyes sought her again, trying to figure her out. The smirk on her face slowly faded, and was then replaced by embarrassment. She looks as if she felt guilty on what she had written.

Rukawa shrugged, and then buried his face on his desk. He can't believe he had wasted a good thirty minutes of his sleep because of that loony. He had enough of this crazy girl with her stupid whining and absurd mind games.

He had a basketball championship to conquer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:** This scene takes place after the mini-concert at the rooftop and before Rukawa finds out that she is Yohei's cousin. Just a bit of background info on Mizuki in this chapter. Without further ado, here is chapter 3. Hope you enjoy reading!

 **Disclaimer:** Slam Dunk is not mine, and will never be mine. Just like Rukawa. (sigh)

 _Death of the heart. It's the ugliest death there is._ _\- Oscar Wilde_

Chapter 3: Girl Interrupted (From Her Internal Soliloquy)

"Is something wrong, Mizuki-chan?"

The girl being addressed turned around suddenly, and saw deep blue eyes watching her with concern.

"Oh, Hi Haruko-chan! Everything's fine, really. What made you say that anyway?!" she blabbered, while arranging the books from her locker.

"Maybe because you're spacing out the whole time in front of your locker?" A girl standing beside Haruko, with hair styled in double ponytail, replied to her.

"Ummm. Matsui's right. And I've been calling your name three times already."

"Well, maybe I only answer on the fourth call." She joked, and then laughed in a Hanamichi style manner. The two girls sweatdropped.

 _"_ _Oh boy, Hanamichi's mannerism is surely rubbing on me."_ Mizuki thought, embarrassed by her response.

"So, have you started with the essay given to us by Yasuda-sensei?" Haruko asked the two girls, trying to start a conversation, but her mind was elsewhere, reflecting on what she learned at the brown-eyed beauty in front of her.

She just met Mizuki three weeks ago, through her cousin, Mito, since she transferred only during their second year of highschool. She's originally from a countryside in Chiba, a three hours train ride from Kanagawa, and recently moved to the region to stay and lived with her cousin. The reason, being her dad was confined in the hospital. The details were quite sketchy; as Haruko had the decency not to pry any more than what was said on the situation. She only knows that she and her dad got into an accident and the latter has been in a coma for more than a month now. She almost cried when she heard the story from Mito. She felt sympathy on her, having to experience such sorrow at a young age, as well as admiration for her resiliency. She doesn't think she can handle that kind of tragedy if it ever happens to her, and was truly thankful to the Kami above for always keeping her family safe.

"Earth to Haruko-chan!" Matsui was waving both of her hands in front of Haruko's face.

"Who's spacing out now, huh?" Mizuki teased, as she gathered her stuff and closed her locker.

"Daydreaming of a certain someone, hmmn? A basketball player, perhaps?" Matsui asked, wiggling her eyebrows playfully at Haruko.

"N-no, I wasn't thinking about him!" Haruko's face was almost as red as a tomato.

Mizuki secretly wished that it was the red-haired basketball player she's daydreaming about. She was well aware of Hanamichi's infatuation on the blue eyed girl, with him mentioning the name 'Haruko' hundreds of times during their phone conversations, when she was still living in Chiba. She was glad to hear of her best friend's new found passion in basketball, as it steered him away from gang fights and disputes…Well, not exactly…After all, he was Hanamichi Sakuragi, the prince of mischief and chaos. Trouble is an everyday occurrence to him. But still, his dedication and perseverance in basketball makes her so proud of him. That colossal height of his has finally found its purpose. And it's all thanks to Haruko-chan. Mito told her the story of how the blue eyed girl convinced Hanamichi to join the basketball team.

Mizuki sighed. Maybe she can asked Haruko-chan to persuade that pig headed cousin of hers to also join a school club, instead of wasting his time slacking away.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden cheers and squeals from girls around them.

"Here comes your prince charming, Haruko." Matsui said. The three of them looked over to the source of the commotion. Sleepwalking on the opposite side of the corridor was the Ace of Shohoku himself; and the rival of Hanamichi on Haruko's affections, Rukawa Kaede .

Mizuki narrowed his eyes at the tall drowsy guy ahead of them. She had heard enough about this Rukawa guy from Hana and Mito. She did gave him the benefit of the doubt, when she first listened to the descriptions provided to her from those two idiots, thinking that they were probably just jealous of his good looks, especially his _impossibly_ long and thick eyelashes. Even she, was envious of his eyelashes when she initially saw him in class, asleep on his desk at the back of the room. She resists the impulse to touch them and feel if they were real. She had to admit that she did find him attractive, and when she discovered later that Haruko has a huge crush on that Rukawa guy, she almost felt sorry for her redhead buddy. There's no way he can win against Rukawa in the looks department. In the brains department, she knew they are both idiots, so that one is a draw.

Personality?

" _Hmmm. Perhaps Hana had an edge against that sleep maniac on that criteria."_

Sure, Rukawa's pretty much easy to the eyes, but he has such a nasty and rude personality, a brat who beats people up when they disturbed his sleep. She remember the first time she witnessed his tantrums, when one Monday morning, the teacher asked the students to pass forward their homework, and poor Satoshi-san, seating in front of that catatonic boy, made the mistake of waking him up to ask for his assignment. Veins popping at the side of his forehead, Rukawa grabbed Satoshi's forearm and hurled him out of the room, then act as if nothing happened and continue with his sleep…Unbelievable… And the teacher didn't even bother to reprimand him…Unfreakingbelievable.

Likewise, the same can be said of her redhead friend…" _Well, he's also foulmouthed and hotheaded.. Maybe the two of them were also a tie in that category... But at least, Haruko already considered Hana as a friend, and she laughs at his silly jokes, so, I think that's almost a good sign_. _Besides, girls prefer guys with a good sense of humor."_ Mizuki thought, refusing to give up and being obviously biased.

"Stop it, Matsui. Didn't I tell you I was already over him?"

At Haruko's words, Mizuki's face brightened. _"Yes, there's still hope for Hana after all!"_

"You say that now, but once you see him again after class during basketball practice, looking all hot and dreamy, I'm sure you'll be chanting his name in no time." Matsui argued.

And just like that, all hopes were lost as Haruko-chan's face burst into flames at her friend's teasing.

xxxxx

 _"_ _Think happy thoughts."_

Finding solace in the silence of the rooftop, Mizuki tried to calm her erratic heart. She repeated those three words to herself, a daily mantra of her in the past few weeks. She refused to wallow in self-pity, willing herself not to succumb in guilt and past mistakes.

 _"_ _Happy thoughts, happy thoughts..ice ..blue skies..fluffy dogs..Hanamichi's goofy face…Mito's ridiculous dance moves…"_

Mizuki frowned and roughly wiped the tears on her cheeks."So much for happy thoughts". She mumbled to herself.

Hugging her knees to her chest, she rocked back and forth against the concrete wall, wishing her tears would stop already. But it's like a dam had been broken, and the onslaught of tears just keep pouring.

 _"_ _Cannot cry. I must not cry."_

She's been trying so hard to put on a brave face. She had already shed enough tears from the moment she learned about her dad's predicament, and she forced herself not to cry anymore.

This feeling of sadness has been creeping on her since this morning, clawing at her heart, craving to be noticed and desperately wanting to get out. She was about to visit her dad in the hospital before going to school, when she accidentally overheard Mito's parents discussing about her dad's situation.

-Flashback-

 _(6 hours earlier)_

"Get your lazy butt up, Yohei Mito!" Mizuki playfully whacked her cousin's head with a pillow. Sprawled lazily on the bed, with his stomach facing down, Mito just ignored her pesky cousin and covered himself fully with his Transformers designed comforter.

A tick formed on her forehead, indicating her impatience at his dillydallying. She yanked the blanket away from him and whacked his sleepy head repeatedly with the pillow.

"Wake up!Wake up!Wake up!" Mizuki chanted, in rhythm with her beatings.

"Five more minutes." The dark haired boy negotiated, taking the blanket again to shield his body from head to toe.

"Oh no, you don't. I am not going to fall for that same shit again, so, . .UP!" She grasped the fluffy comforter with both of her hands and threw it on the floor, exposing the sleeping boy in matching dark blue pajamas.

Mito mumbled something about annoying brat against his pillow, still refusing to get up from the comfort of his bed.

"Hey, look who's acting like a spoiled brat.. And may I remind you that you're the one who volunteered to give me a ride today on your decrepit of a scooter to visit Dad!"

He glanced up sideways at her, his head still resting on the pillows, and grudgingly said, "Yeah, I volunteered to drive you today to the hospital, in my _ever reliable motorcycle_ … but not at friggin 6 AM!"

"Stop whining! Technically, you're already awake, so why don't you go take a shower to get rid of that crappy mood and smell of yours." She said while dragging his feet away from the bed.

But Mito was hell bent on staying on his bed. "Five more minutes. Promise, I'll accompany you to the hospital. We can even stay there much longer and don't ya worry about being late at school.. They won't punish you anyway; after all, you have a valid reason for arriving late in class."

Mizuki dropped his feet and silently gaped at him. She can't believe he could utter such insensitive remarks. Maybe he's just too sleepy and wasn't able to filter the words coming out from his mouth, but still, his comments stung. She stood dumbfounded at the end of his bed, and Mito, thinking that she finally gave up on disturbing him, resumes his sleep. Soon enough, soft snores were heard in the room.

She clenched her fists, forcing herself not to kick him to oblivion for his stupid remarks.

 _"_ _A valid reason, huh? Using my dad as a scapegoat for tardiness?"_ She thought, seething.

Right before she left his room, something on his desk caught her eye. A wicked idea popped into her head. She's well aware of her cousin's vanity when it comes to his hair. Heck, he spends more of his time styling his hair than doing his homework. His number 1 rule: Never, ever mess with his gel infested hair. Touch it and you die… Well, that's what he always says…

 _"_ _That boy is just all bark. Besides, I oughta teach him a lesson for his tactless remarks."_ She reminded herself as she took the jar of blue slime from his table and hid it on her backpack. She gave a triumphant grin as she envisioned him looking all panicky and distraught as he searched for his beloved Gatsby hair gel.

As she stepped outside Mito's room, feeling satisfied with her revenge, she overheard voices coming from her aunt's room.

"It's been more than a month already, Kimiko-san." She heard her uncle speak. Intrigued, she came closer to the door, desperate to hear more of their conversation. She's aware that it is wrong to eavesdrop but she can't help herself. At the back of her mind, she somehow knew the topic of their discussion.

"Don't you dare give up on your brother, Takahiro-san. He's going to make it, I know he will." Her aunt said, her voice pleading with her husband not to lose hope.

"Do you think so? For how long was he going to be in that unresponsive state? 3 months? 4,5? A year?!"

Mizuki gripped the straps of her backpack tightly, her nails digging on her palm as she listened discreetly to the two adults.

"Please lower your voice, Anata, the kids might hear you. You have to be strong, especially for Mizuki-chan. She needs our support, that poor kid already lost her mother, and to lose another parent will be too much for her.."

"I know…Forgive my being weak, Kimiko."

"I understand your frustration, Anata."

She heard her uncle took a deep breath before saying, "Another thing… I think we might need to sell the farm house in Chiba..."

Minutes later, Mizuki left the apartment in a daze, more depressed than ever in her entire life.

-End of Flashback-

Leaning her head against the wall, the brown-eyed girl forced herself to erase the negative thoughts running through her head, distracting herself with watching the various shapes of the clouds above her, but to no avail. The gloomy feeling just won't leave her alone.

When she went to school this morning, after her short visit from the hospital, she was surprised to find a brand new sketchpad and staedtler pencils inside her locker. She traced the pad with her fingertips, missing the sense of elation she felt whenever she's sketching. Only two people in this school knew of her enthrallment with arts.

Mito and Hana.

 _"_ _They probably put them here yesterday."_ She speculated. _"Those two idiots, spending their allowance on this and then making me feel guilty afterwards.."_ She thought miserably. If she only knew that Mito would do something nice for her as giving her a new sketchpad and pencils, she might have brushed off that careless remark of his this morning.

She was so consumed with her thoughts that she didn't even notice Haruko and her friend, Matsui, calling her. She quickly put on her happy mask to hide her inner torment, sparing the two girls from her woes.

When lunch came, she quickly proceeded to the school's rooftop; her personal sanctuary when she yearns for a little peace and quiet for a while. Sometimes, being with Hana and the guys can be quite exhausting, as she's not the same cheerful girl they used to know, and it's getting really difficult to keep up with her happy persona charade. She brought her new stuff with her to the rooftop, dead set on drowning her sorrows with sketching, but it didn't produce the desired effect. It only worsens her feeling of despondency.

 _"_ _Why am I being overly emotional today?"_

She took a deep breath and glanced down at the yellow post-it note on her palm, which she just recently discovered wedge on the first page of the sketchpad. She read the words scribbled on them again.

 **Yo Zuki-yaki!**

 **Surprise! We know it's a bit late, but hey, at least we made an effort with the gift giving.**

 **So anyhow, Belated Happy Birthday! Hope you like our gift! Enjoy drawing!**

 **(btw, why are you in the newspaper club again? You should totally shift to Arts club, they are seriously in need of a 'great talent' like you *wink*)**

 **From your handsome cousin,**

 **Mito-soup**

 **And your** **MORE handsome best buddy,**

 **Sushi-Ragi**

A sharp pain shot up and down in Mizuki's chest. She's not exactly elated to be reminded of her birthday. After all, her celebration of her 17th birthday last month ended up with her waking up from the hospital bed and her dad in a comatose. The bitter memory of the accident caused another torrential downpour of her tears. Just for today, she thought, she will allow herself to cry. To mourn for a mother she long lost, and for a father who's still fighting for his life. Her sobs turned to loud hiccups and wailing, letting out all the pent up emotions of the past month.

Unbeknownst to her, another person also considers the rooftop as his refuge. She was oblivious of the fact that Rukawa Kaede; who was forced to listen to her painful heart wrenching sobs, was just on the other side.

Mizuki doesn't stop sobbing until she hears someone enter the rooftop. She immediately covered her mouth to silence her hiccups. Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat when she heard a girl shrieked Rukawa's name.

 _"_ _Nani?! He's here?!In the rooftop?How long has he been here?"_ Heart pounding loudly, she silently wished that he didn't hear her awkward wailing.

As she waited for the two of them to leave her sanctuary, she had no choice but to listen to their conversation, or rather, listen to the girl's monologue. She almost choked when she heard the girl informed Rukawa that he was offered a role in some school play. _"Yeah, right. Maybe he'll get the role of the 'dying tree' on the play."_

As expected from the Ice Prince of Shohoku, Rukawa just rudely dismissed the girl talking to him. Mizuki felt sorry for the unknown girl when she started weeping.

"Stop wasting my time." She heard him say, followed by the sound of a loud bang of the door being shut. Silence filled the rooftop. Mizuki contemplated whether to console the girl or to remain hidden.

Too late for Mizuki to decide now, as the girl in question unexpectedly made her way to the right side of the stairwell wall, where she was sitting uncomfortably on the floor. Both girls let out a gasp, eyes widening with surprise as they look at each other.

Mizuki immediately recognized the girl standing a few feet away from her. And who wouldn't? Her entire demeanor screams for attention, drawing stares from everywhere she goes. That curly brownish hair covered in a multitude of pink ribbons was not easy to ignore, and she knew most of the male population, including Sakuragi's gang were going gaga over her cute face and oh so green eyes.

Her name is Ohara Fumiko; 1st year student, trendsetter and the new queen of the Drama Club.

Mizuki was the first one to recover from her shock. " Erm- Hi there,Ohara-chan." She bowed her head and slightly waved her right hand in greeting.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" The green eyed girl asked her.

"Oh, not really.. I'm Yohei Mizuki, by the way. Second year student." She replied, gathering her things on the ground and standing up. She held out one of her hand to her.

Fumiko looks at the hand stretched in front of her warily before briefly shaking them. She then took notice of Mizuki's puffy and swollen red eyes, and began speculating on what she thought happened in the rooftop before she arrived.

"O.M.G! You totally got jilted by Rukawa-Sempai, aren't you?!" Fumiko exclaimed rather enthusiastically.

"Huh?" Mizuki stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Oh, poor you. No wonder your eyes are so swollen. It must have been one hell of a rejection." The curly haired girl said, trying to sound sympathetic, but failing extremely.

"You must be really brave to have the guts to confess to him.. Knowing fully well that you will never have the chance to be with him..I mean, look at you…. no offense, sempai, but you need to do something with that ridiculous bangs of yours.. I know-"

Mizuki cut her off, irritated beyond belief. " I hate to burst your bubble, pink girl, but you are sorely mistaken. I was not rejected by Rukawa, nor did I confess anything to him."

"Oh shush you. You don't need to be embarrassed by it. But don't you worry, you're secret is safe with me." The petite girl smiled at her upperclassman slyly.

Somehow, Mizuki doesn't believe her statement.

She sighed. Today was really a very depressing, confusing and exhausting experience for her.

* * *

A/N: So, what do you think? Please leave a review so I know what you think of the story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Slam Dunk. It is the sole property of Inoue Takehiko. There is no financial gain made from this and created for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

Chapter 4: Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Redhead

She wondered what he was thinking.

Mizuki discreetly glanced over her shoulder at the now sleeping boy. She didn't know whether she should be disappointed or relieved to learned that he was no longer watching her. Or was that glaring? She could never tell with his emotionless face.

 _"_ _Honestly, what's with all that creepy staring?"_ She thought, trying to formulate reasons for his unusual behavior. First on the list, he's wide awake before class even started; usually he's halfway on his dream filled slumber the moment he reached his seat. Secondly, he answered the teacher during roll call. That never happens before, and in her almost three weeks stay in this school, she never saw him respond to anyone during class hours. She almost thought him to be mute. The first time she had heard him talk was from yesterday at the rooftop, and that was even accidental. His voice sounded low and dangerous at that time. Thirdly…Mizuki blushed at the memory..She caught him looking at her..or glaring.. or whatever it is called...but the point is, their eyes met, more than once, and she felt something unexplainable stirred at the pit of her stomach.

When she responds to her name being called, she felt his gaze on her again. She forced herself to be unaffected, trying to look preoccupied with solving some math problems. Feeling extremely self-conscious, she tugged at her bangs downwards, in an effort to hide the scar above her right eyebrow; thinking that the reason he was staring at her was because he caught a glimpse of that hideous scar. Sadly, hers were not as cool as Harry Potter's lightning bolt scar, to be gaining such undivided attention from him.

She deems it impossible for him to recognize her as the girl who was wailing at the top of her lungs from the rooftop. After all, he never gets the chance to see her face. She nearly had a heart attack when she found out that Rukawa's favorite place to hang-out or rather sleep was the rooftop, the same place she considered as her own sanctuary; her refuge when she wants to escape from the chaos surrounding her. She should have experience his wrath by now if ever she did manage to disturb him from his sleep. But nothing happened. There's no sign of animosity, like what occurred between him and little miss drama queen yesterday, or get pummelled like Satoshi-kun. Maybe he sleeps like the dead that time when she's having her impromptu concert, or he's not even at the rooftop, or he probably just enjoyed listening to her vocal prowess.

 _"_ _Yeah, right. The chances of that happening is one is to million."_ She mused. She knew for a fact that singing was not one of her redeeming talents, but it surely is one of her favorite past time.

She didn't know what compelled her to write those words to him. Although, she did felt smug when she saw the slight widening of his eyes, albeit for a brief second, from her unexpected response to his blatant staring / glaring. But afterwards, she felt guilty with the way she reacted. It is true that she found him rude, but her action towards him was also disrespectful.

 _"_ _He doesn't seem to mind, though"_ Mizuki concluded, as she saw him just shrugged his shoulders and buried his head on the desk to sleep after seeing the words she had written on her notebook.

 _"_ _Oh well,_ _he'll probably forget all about this when he woke up."_ she thought, willing herself to focus her attention back on the math problems on her desk, and not to take another glimpse on the sleeping beauty behind her.

xxxxx

Outside, the Sakura flowers were in full bloom. Most of the students prefer to take their lunch on the school ground; where they can enjoy the beautiful scenery, as well as the cool breeze created by the spring season.

For a certain redhead though, spring means new beginning; the perfect time for him to finally reveal his true feelings to the oblivious blue-eyed girl of his dreams.

Hanamichi Sakuragi stood underneath the old Sakura tree, located in a slightly secluded part in the school yard. Mustering all of his courage, he clasped the hands of the smiling girl standing in front of him; deliberately ignoring her somewhat _pudgy_ hands, before saying in a serious tone, "Haruko-chan, we've known each other for a long time now.. I just want to say that you are a beautiful person, inside and out, and I'm very lucky to have met you in my life."

"Awww, you are making me blush. That is so sweet of you, Sakuragi-kun." His long time crush smacked his shoulder rather strongly, causing the redhead to lose his balance and staggered a bit. Sakuragi gritted his teeth, struggling to keep his temper in check.

He returned to holding her hands, squeezing her fingers tightly, and stared into her deep blue and unblinking eyes.

"Haruko-chan, Aishiteru."

The girl began to swoon in an exaggerated manner, and wearing the same cheery expression, she replied, "Oh, I feel the same way, Sakuragi-kun."

As if on cue, horn of trumpets filled the air and tons of confetti started falling from above their head.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, wasn't it, Hanamichi?" Nozomi Takamiya said, removing the mask printed with an image of a smiling Haruko on it, from his chubby face.

"Don't forget our deal, Hanamichi. You must confess to Haruko-chan by today, if not, you will be joining Rukawa and the other students for an audition this coming _Friiidddaaay_." His blonde friend, Yuji Ohkosu teased in a singsong voice, throwing the remaining confetti in the air.

"Yeah, and don't you dare chicken out! How many opportunities have you wasted because you're so scared out of your wits to reveal your undying lo-!" Chuichirou Noma's words were cut off as he received the brunt of the redhead's vexation through his infamous head-butt.

"Shut it, moustache! Nobody's asking for your stupid opinion!" Sakuragi's anger finally exploded.

"Relax, Hanamichi, there's no need for a bloodbath." said Yohei Mito; the gang's unofficial arbitrator at the moment, placing his right hand on the fuming redhead's shoulder in order to placate him. "This is it, my friend, the moment you've been waiting for. Go get your girl!"

"Oh yeah! Nothing can ruin this perfect day for me! Not even you, Noma, and your horrendous moustache! This Tensai here is going to seize the day! Carpy Dime!" Sakuragi exclaimed, loudly pounding his right fist twice on his chest for added effect.

The Sakuragi Army facedropped.

"Idiot! It's Carpe Diem!"

"Hey, who are you calling an idiot, porkchop?!" Sakuragi grabbed Takamiya's shirt, preparing to tear him to pieces.

Frightened of suffering the same fate as Noma, the bespectacled portly guy quickly put on his makeshift Haruko-face mask. "Sakuragi-kun, ya wouldn't hurt me, would ya?" Takamiya said, doing a bad job of mimicking Haruko's sweet voice.

That irked the redhead even more. Within seconds, the chubby little guy was sporting a huge bump on his forehead.

"That oughta teach you a le-"

Whatever it is Sakuragi's about to say was interrupted by Mito. "Incoming! Incoming! Subject spotted at 3 o' clock!" The latter warned the group as a familiar girl with shoulder length hair and bright smile was seen approaching their hiding spot.

"Return to your positions." The four guys comprising the Sakuragi's Army scrambled to the nearby bushes to conceal themselves.

Sakuragi began to tense up, blood draining from his face. He took deep breaths, clenching and unclenching his fists to reduce his anxieties. His senses had gone haywire as Haruko finally reached him. "Sakuragi-kun."

"H-Haruko-chan…..c-can I help you with something?"

 _"_ _What an idiot!"_ His so-called army thought in unison.

"Eh?! You're so funny, Sakuragi-kun." Haruko giggled at his perplexed reaction.

"I know,right?!" The redhead commented awkwardly, shifting his weight back and forth on his feet while rubbing the back of his neck, his confidence waning.

"I received your note from Mizuki-chan." She showed him his letter with a detailed drawing of the location of their meeting place. "I believe you owe me an explanation to why you asked me to come here."

Sakuragi's mind goes blank as Haruko gave him one of her heart stopping smile. His eyes began to glaze over as tiny hearts fluttered above his head.

"Uh-oh. He's blocking out." Ohkosu muttered to the others who were also crouched behind the bushes, shamelessly eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Tsk. He's grinning like a moron. He totally forgot his lines." Mito grimaced, disappointed with the turn of events.

"All that late night rehearsal and practice ended up with nothing." Noma complained, shifting from a crouch to sitting position.

"Owww" Takamiya only mewled, still nursing his bruised head.

"Sakuragi-kun? Sakuragi-kun!" Haruko was now waving one of her hand into his face.

A small rock flew and hit the daydreaming redhead at the back of his head, bringing him back to his senses. "Hey! Who did that?" Sakuragi protested, rubbing the part of his head where the rock collided. He looked for the source of the flying rock and saw his buddies peeking from the bushes and signalling with their hands; mouthing something like 'stick to the plan' at him.

"Is everything alright, Sakuragi-kun?" Haruko asked, a crease forming between her eyebrows.

Sakuragi slapped his cheeks, trying to wake himself from his stupor. He took a deep breath to steady himself. A look of concentration filled his face, and Haruko was slightly taken aback by the sudden change on his emotions.

Hidden behind the bushes, the Sakuragi Army waited in breathless anticipation…

"Haruko-chan.. There is something I've been meaning to tell you.."

"W-what is it, Sakuragi-kun?" She looked up at him, her big blue eyes filled with worry.

"We've known each other for a long time now.. I just want to say…"

Haruko waited patiently for him to continue.

"I just want to say…" Sakuragi twiddled his thumbs, looking anywhere but her. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

"I just want to say… that the gang and I are going to audition for the school play!"

"Eh?!"

The Sakuragi Army facedropped.

 _"_ _How hopeless."_ They sighed simultaneously.

And that is how the Sakuragi Army found themselves registered as one of the thirty something hopefuls to land a role for the upcoming school play.

xxxxx

Mizuki doubled over in apparent mirth, bursting into a fit of giggles as she clung into the mop for support. Her cousin; sitting atop one of the desks just watched her, half annoyed and half amused, while the rest of Gundan unwillingly clean the room.

Their group minus Mito were the cleaners of the day for their class section. It's a general practice for students to tidy up their room after school hours, as a way to instill discipline and responsibility.

"I can't believe that all of you are going to audition for the school play." Mizuki said in between laughter. "I am so looking forward to watching you squirm in front of the stage. It will be a blast!"

"Quit your laughing, it's so unladylike. You'll never get a boyfriend if you snort like that. " Mito said with an evil glint in his eyes.

The others laughed loudly at Mito's comment.

Mizuki stuck out her tongue at him childishly, poking his side with the top edge of the mop stick in her hand. "Be careful with your words, oh dear cousin of mine, you wouldn't want me for an enemy, right?" Mito's face suddenly becomes pale, clearly remembering the hair fiasco from yesterday, where she intentionally hid his treasured hair gel.

Mito was so caught up in his thoughts that he failed to stop her from reaching out to ruffle his hair, messing with his gel styled jet black hair.

"Hey! Hands-off the hair will ya?" Mito grumbled, not expecting the sudden attack.

"Hah! You will never get a girlfriend if all you think about is your hair." She teased back as she continued on mopping the floor.

"But seriously speaking, you guys can just back off from this whole audition; after all, the initial dare was for Hana,right. The deal was for him to confess to Haruko-chan by today, if he didn't do it, he have to try-out for the school play. In the end, he chickened out, so he has to keep the end of the bargain." She explained.

"Well, that's the initial bet…" Takamiya replied, busying himself with wiping the blackboard for almost the entire cleaning duration. She saw Mito out of the corner of her eyes gesturing something to Noma and Ohkusu.

"So, what changed?" She asked, looking warily at them. Noma went to the front of the room, pretending to help Takamiya with cleaning the board. She knew all too well that the reason Noma was there was to prevent the portly guy from talking too much.

"Nothing. We just wanted to… you know, have a change from our usual routine. You always scolded us for our slacking. So we decided to make ourselves busy with joining the school play." Mito answered nonchalantly, while smoothing down his hair. A picture of ease.

"Nothing? Oh come on. There must be something more to the dare." She narrowed her eyes towards the four of them. "All right, spill."

"Geez, it's not like we have some hidden agenda or something. No need to be so suspicious." Noma said, avoiding her intense glare by furiously wiping the already spotless blackboard.

"Really..I smell something fishy in here."

"Oh, it must be coming from the trash bin…Probably Satoshi-kun's lunch…Let me just take out the garbage.." Ohkosu didn't wait for a reply as he hurriedly grabbed the bin and went out of the room.

Mizuki racked her brain, looking for answers to their suspicious behaviour. She remembered Rukawa being offered some role to the school play, all because Sakuragi put a prank on the stoic guy. She learned just recently that the mischievous redhead was the one responsible in putting Rukawa's name on the registration's list, thus making the snotty freshman, Ohara Fumiko, assumed that the sleepy guy was interested with the school play.

A lightbulb popped above her head. _"Of course."_

Sleeping Beauty… Ohara Fumiko….The kiss of true love…

She shook her head, chuckling slightly. "I got it now."

"Oh man, there she goes again with her assumptions. I don't want to hear another one of your preposterous theory, okay." Mito replied, getting down from the desk and preparing to escape.

"Hold it!" She placed the stick mop between him and the door, blocking his exit way.

Mizuki ignored his protest, and still informed them of her point of view regarding the matter.

"I believe that the reason why the rest of you have agreed to join the audition was because there is a 100% probability that a certain cutie named Ohara Fumiko, will get the role of the main character, Aurora a.k.a Sleeping Beauty…"

"Who in the world is this Ohara Fumi- Fujiko?" Noma exclaimed, scandalized.

Mizuki raised one of her eyebrows at him. " You'll make a fine actor, one day, Chuichirou -kun."

"Anyway, as I was saying, Fumiko-chan will be Aurora in this play, so the rest of you are then vying to get the role of her prince charming, and I know you are very much informed on the storyline of the Sleeping Beauty."

The three of them just stared at her with feigned innocence.

"Unless maybe, you're more interested on getting the role of the evil witch or perhaps.. the fairy godmothers?"

They shook their heads frantically.

" Right.. the prince in this story had a very important task at hand: to break the spell casted upon the princess through the power of true love's kiss."

"K-kiss?!" The three of them cry out in perfect symphony.

"Will the three of you stop pretending already. I know you know all along the plot of the story, and who Ohara Fumiko is. The freshman girl you've all been giving googly eyes, obsessing and collecting pictures of lately!" She ranted.

"I'm aware that all of you had never had a girlfriend before, so you have this insane bet that whoever gets to experience their first kiss will become the winner and the losers will then end up being some sort of his slave for a week, am I right?"

"Actually, it's for a month." Takamiya corrected her, which earns him a death glare from the two guys.

"Seriously,guys." Mizuki said in a condescending tone.

"Geez, don't be such a party pooper, Zuki." Mito reprimanded her while leaning against the wall with arms crossing on his chest.

"I am not." She said defiantly.

 _"_ _Am I becoming one?A buzzkill?"_ She reflected on the past few days where she only has negative thoughts, criticizing herself nonstop, looking only on the downside of things. She shook her head, erasing the onslaught of unpleasant memories.

"I am not." She repeated before saying, "I just don't like being kept out of the loop, you know. And as I said before, I am super excited to watch all of you squirm during the audition. I wouldn't miss it in the world. I might even record them.. so, any one of you got a camcorder I can borrow?"

The three guys groaned in unison, not at all happy to see her enthusiasm with their predicament.

* * *

A/N: There's no Rukawa interaction on this one. (A total downer, I know!) But fear not, our favorite fox will show up in the next chapter. Also, I noticed from the previous chapters that I wrote 'Sempai' instead of 'Senpai'. There's no difference in their meanings according to Google, but since majority of the fanfic that I've read spelled it Senpai, I'll probably write them that way in the succeeding chapters. So yeah, enough of my ramblings, I'm more interested in hearing yours! Reviews are very much appreciated. (=^_^=)


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Slam Dunk. It is the sole property of Inoue Takehiko. There is no financial gain made from this and created for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

Chapter 4: Stop and Stare

 _How stupid could I be_

 _A simpleton could see_

 _That you're no good for me_

 _But you're the only one I see_

 _~Stupid~_

 _by Sarah Mclachlan_

"What's with the hair?" The tall redhead inquires of his best friend's new hairstyle as soon as he saw him.

"Goodmorning to you too, Hanamichi." Mito greeted him, ignoring his query. He proceeded to remove his shoes to exchange them with uwagutsu, or indoor slippers.

Sakuragi, not being satisfied at having his questions dodged, turned to the raven haired girl behind him. "Hey bumpkin, you cut his supply of pomade again?"

The girl being questioned mock punch him in the shoulder. "I told you not to call me bumpkin, you gigantic oaf."

"What? You prefer farm girl, then?" He teased, smiling impishly at her.

"Whatever, Mister Neanderthal Man." Mizuki taunted back, which earn another silly grin from him. Mito, who was used to their playful banter, just watched from the sidelines, relieved to have the hairdo topic dropped. But having known those two for so long now, he knew that once the banter between them ended, they will then began to gang up on him.

The trio were now walking along the corridors, heading towards their respective classroom. The other students make way for them as they passed, keeping themselves at a safe distance in order to avoid any collision with the volatile redhead.

"Anyway, I think that the reason he changed his hairstyle was because he's prepping for the big day tomorrow." Mizuki informed Sakuragi conspiratorially, while pointing at her now hairgel-free cousin.

"Oh really, you think he had a chance of landing the main role?" Sakuragi took the bait, a devious smirk flashed on his face.

"Nah. That's unlikely, unless, he's contending for the role of Aurora."

"Or maybe he's vying for the role of Sleeping Beauty." The redhead said, and then chuckled at his own joke.

Mizuki gave him an exasperated look, before lightly punching him on the shoulder again. "Aurora and Sleeping Beauty is the same person, you doofus!"

"Is it?!And here I thought her name was Beauty." Sakuragi looked momentarily lost, tilting his head and scratching his right cheek.

Mito, who's walking behind them, covered his mouth to stifle his laughter.

They finally reached Mizuki's classroom but since classes will not start for another five minutes, the three of them decided to hang out for a little bit. Soon, they were joined by the rest of the Gundan, who's in the same section as the brown-eyed girl.

"Oh boy, we need to educate you with the fairy tale classics, Hanamichi. You are seriously lagging behind.. Maybe we can rent a tape and watch the movie later at our place, what cha think, Mito?" Ohkosu suggested to the others.

"Sounds good to me." Mito replied with a thumb up sign. Expect Sakuragi to confuse Sleeping Beauty with the main protagonist in Beauty and the Beast. Heck, he didn't even want to know what the redhead's own version of the story is, he might probably say something absurd like poisoned apples and singing lobster.

"Count me in!" Noma interjected.

"Yeah, me too! Hey, don't forget the snacks!" Takamiya reminded his blonde friend.

As the others discussed their movie plans for tonight, Mito caught sight of someone out of the the corner of his eyes. Casually sitting in his chair at the back of the room, with one fist pressed on his cheek, was none other than Sakuragi's nemesis: Kaede Rukawa. What caught his astonishment was, not only the guy was wide awake, but he was watching their group with a mixture of annoyance and mild curiosity. Mito turned to the others to see if they also managed to notice this unusual behaviour of the kitsune, but they were too busy bickering on who's going to pay for the food.

Except for one person.

Mito's brows furrowed as he watched his cousin fidget and blushed under the kitsune's glare. His eyes shifted between the two of them and he noticed Rukawa's gaze lingered on his cousin a little longer. There was something about the way he looked at Mizuki that unsettles him.

 _"_ _What was that?!"_ Mito's protective brotherly instinct surged through him, feeling the need to shield his cousin away from the guy's intense stare. As if sensing the waves of hostility emanating from him, Rukawa's blue eyes turned to him. Mito didn't budge from the kitsune's ice-cold stare; instead he gave the latter his own notorious gangster death glare, as if provoking him for a fight.

Sakuragi, finally taking notice of the battle aura radiating from his bestfriend, quickly scanned the room for possible enemies. He found Mito glowering towards Rukawa; his rival and the constant thorn in his side.

"Oi Ugly Fox, are you looking for a fight, huh?! Come on! Bring it on!" The short-tempered redhead hollered, marching towards the now bored looking Rukawa.

The other students hurriedly vacate their seats, afraid to be caught in the crossfire.

"Hanamichi, will you please calm down." Mizuki tugged at Sakuragi's sleeves, pulling him further away from Rukawa. But he ignored her and keeps moving forward to where the stoic guy was seated. Upon reaching him, he slammed both of his palms on the desk and looked down on him. Undeterred, Rukawa just stared back at him, his face devoid of any emotions.

"Ehem. May I ask what is going on here?" A voice disrupted the two basketball player's stare-down contest. They both turned their eyes towards the source and saw their bespectacled brunette teacher standing between them.

 _"_ _Huh, I didn't notice her arriving. Maybe Yamada-sensei is some sort of ninja, and disguising as an English teacher."_ Mizuki thought; surprised at their sensei's sudden appearance.

"Ah!...Ohayou Yamada-sensei!" Sakuragi's sour expression completely changed into a goofy grin as soon as he caught sight of his favourite teacher.

"The bell has already rung, Sakuragi-san. It's time for you to go back to your corresponding classroom..Or do you wish to be marked up absent in your attendance?"

"Of course not, Sensei!" Sakuragi backed out slowly away from Rukawa's desk.

"Well, gotta get going. _Have a nice day_ Sensei!" He said the last sentence in broken english, before grabbing Mito's arm and dragging the latter out of the room with him.

As Sakuragi was about to enter his respective class, he called back to Mito, who's classroom was on the far end of the corridor. "Hey, what's up with you and that kitsune?"

"Nothing., I just don't like the way that guy stared at Zuki."

"Huh? I didn't see that…Maybe he.." Sakuragi paused and scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe what?" Mito pressed him to continue.

A mischievous smile lit up on the redhead's face. "Maybe he's wondering why a little boy is wearing a girl's uniform."

Mito's eyes bulged out of him and they both broke out in a thunderous guffaw. They continue laughing, ignoring the furious glare of Sakuragi's homeroom teacher, who's standing just a few feet away from them.

xxxxx

"All rise." The class representative makes the announcement to his fellow students. They all bow at the same time and thank the teacher for today's lesson.

"Goodbye and thank you, Sensei."

The students began to gather their things, and prepare to either head home or go to the school club of their choice.

Mizuki let out a deep sigh, glad that the day was finally over. She cautiously glanced over her shoulder, and realized that the person who's been occupying her mind as of late had already left the room. She felt a pang of disappointment in which she quickly suppressed. She shouldn't be acting this way. All those blushing and sneaky glances just seem so unlikely of her. Worst of all, Mito had inadvertently caught her awkward response against the intensity of Rukawa's piercing gaze. She knew she wouldn't hear the end of it once her cousin found out that she's been...kinda obsessing over Rukawa; the guy who only had the words 'dou ahou' on his vocabulary. The guy, whom she and the gang had frequently made fun of because of his zombie-like sleepwalking habit.

 _"_ _What's wrong with me?"_ She thought. There's so much going on with her life to even concern herself with such trivial and superficial things.

 _"_ _It was probably just a spur of the moment. This feeling, whatever it is, will be gone sooner than I expected. I will not get dazzled by those blue eyes. I will not be affected by his soul piercing gaze. I am impervious! I am Rukawaproof!"_ Mizuki said to herself, raising one of her fists in the air and eyes blazing with ultimate determination.

"Er- Excuse me, Yohei-chan."

Mizuki's internal monologue abruptly stopped. She turned her head to the source of interruption. "Ah, Satoshi-kun. W-what's up?"

"Er- have you forgotten, the newspaper club called for an emergency meeting today. We need to go now if we don't want to be late. And besides.." The gawky teenager glanced around the room.

Mizuki belatedly realized that majority of the students already left the classroom. The few who stayed behind were watching her with a wary, almost irritated expression.

"So..Can we get on with the cleaning now? Or are you not yet done spacing out?" One of the assigned cleaners of the day asked her, tapping his right foot impatiently.

"Of course! Don't let me stop you. Please continue the superb job in making our classroom clean and sparkling!" Mizuki rambled aimlessly, trying to save face.

She stood up from her chair and linked her arm with her seatmate and fellow club member, Satoshi. "Well, sorry to leave you guys, but me and my pal, Satoshi-kun here, had a very important meeting to attend. We'd better get going now..Bye-bye!"

Twenty minutes later at the Newspaper Club Room..

"Absolutely not! No freaking way!" Mizuki was arguing with Iwata Gorou; the school newspaper's editor in chief, for the past five minutes.

"You don't get to make the decisions here, Yohei-chan. I do." Iwata informed her, appearing intimidating despite of his relatively short stature. The senior was known for his strictness and authoritarian leadership, and nobody questions his decisions when it comes to the Shohoku Times, the school's official newspaper.

Only one person dares to defy him, and that is Yohei Mizuki, the obstinate second year transferee.

"Listen Iwata-senpai, I am a staff writer for the life & style section plus doing extra job for the editorial cartoon. And then, all of a sudden, you just decided to shove another workload on me, and might I add, on a very short notice, for the reason that Naoki –chan here messed up with her article. Where's the justice in that?!"

"Life is unfair, deal with it. Since you brought up the topic of the excess workload, let me remind you that Satoshi-kun is our copy editor side-lining as a photographer cum technical adviser as well. But have you heard any complaints from him, any protests at all, huh?"

"Yes, I did hear him complain several times before." Mizuki said rather quickly. Satoshi let out a loud gasp, surprised that his harbored secret disapproval of their senpai's iron fisted rule was now exposed.

Mizuki covered her hands into her mouth upon realizing her blunder. _"Uh-oh."_

The diminutive editor in chief stared at her in shock, his mouth closing and opening, like fish out of the sea. He then turned his attention to the lanky guy who was fidgeting in his seat, clearly wanting an escape from this nightmarish situation.

Mizuki find it preposterous that Satoshi, who happens to be a lot taller than Iwata, was now cowering in fear against the latter's withering glare.

"Is that so?" Their EIC inquired icily.

"Er- It's just minor complaints, senpai. There's no need to get mad over trivial matters. Besides, the team really appreciates all the hard work and effort that you do for the Times. Right guys?" Mizuki asked her fellow members in an attempt to diffuse the tension in the room. The newspaper staff vigorously nodded their heads in agreement.

Iwata gave Satoshi a look that says that he's willing to let go the issue for now, but it doesn't mean that he will totally forget all about it.

"Anyway. Going back to the topic at hand. As I said before, Yohei-chan will now be working on the Featured section of the Times, replacing Naoki-chan." He said in a commanding tone.

"Darn it, Why me?" Mizuki grumbled, rubbing her forehead in frustration.

"Please give me another chance, Gorou-kun. I pro-"

"No." Naoki's words were cut off by their EIC.

"But"

"No buts. I already gave you your second chance, Naoki, and you blew it bigtime." The girl protested no more, and lowered her head in shame.

"Why do we have to do an article on that.. that sleepyhead anyway? Has the Times sunk so low as to feature that emotionless guy? He doesn't even utter any words in class and yet you want me to interview him? I'm not some miracle worker, ya know. I can't make that speech-impaired guy talk out of the blue!" Mizuki ranted, obviously displeased with the concept.

"Why does the news all over the world have some bimbo with fake blonde hair and a nose job featured on their article? Or some guy with rock hard abs who can't even sing yet had his album selling like hotcakes?"

"Because of their fanbase?" Satoshi answered uncertainly.

"Exactly! Public interest is an essential component for successful journalism. You should go for what the student body wanted, and if the people are clamouring for that Rukawa guy to be featured in the Shohoku Times, then we will not fail their requests."

"Let's not forget the fact that the Rukawa fan's club agree to donate a huge chunk in exchange of the article." One of the staff writers added.

"Bri*cough* bery."

"Well, yes, that's part of the deal. As you see, our club is struggling financially, so we need all the funds we can get." Iwata replied, not denying Mizuki's allegations.

"Rukawa's fanbase is growing, and they are quite generous with the offer, so if we make them happy with the article, then that would make our club's current financial situation happy too. It's the basic law of survival."

"But what I don't understand is why did it have to be me? Why not Ume-kun, he's the sports editor after all." Mizuki muttered.

The stern senior ignored her inquiry; instead he asked her a question of his own. "What's your article all about again, Yohei-chan?"

Mizuki was just about to open her mouth to explain her article when Iwata beat her to it. "Ah, yes. Your article was about the perks of having a green thumb….Do you think your story will garner the interest of the reading audience? Do you honestly believe that they care about gardening or having a green thumb?"

"Well, we do have gardening in our curriculum." Mizuki interjected.

"Your article does not cater to the appeal of the younger demographics. The reader gains nothing from it, they can't relate with it as they don't have any sympathy or patience with dirtying their hands digging and planting who knows what! Whereas the Rukawa article will definitely boosts the number of our reading audience. He is the golden boy of Shohoku at the moment and we will use his growing popularity in whichever way we can."

"You could have said something about it before! I already send you the draft of my article a few days ago and it took you now to realized that my story is garbage?!"

"Honestly, you're writing skills are not bad. It's just that we need two pages for the Rukawa piece, and since yours is kind of consuming too much space on the paper, I've decided to just publish your article in the next issue of the Times. See, your story will not be gone to waste, and I didn't say that it was a piece of garbage. Boring, yes, but not worthless."

"Wow, and that just makes me feel so much better!" Mizuki said sarcastically.

"I believe you are capable of handling this interview, Yohei-chan. I could have given them to Satoshi-kun, but knowing how he's such a nervous wreck when it comes to that guy. He's quite intimidating from what I've heard."

"And you think I'm not the least bit intimidated at him?" She had a look of incredulity plastered on her face. She almost wanted to tell them how Rukawa made her stomach queasy with just one look from him.

"You're not scared of the guy. I've heard about the incident in your class that occurred a few days ago; where you bash the guy for his sleeping habits."

Mizuki's eyes widened and turned her head to Satoshi, giving him an accusing stare. _"That little sneak. Gossiping behind my back."_

Satoshi squirmed on his seat, looking everywhere but her.

"Look, Yohei-chan. We're in a grave situation right now. As your editor-in-chief, I am asking you- no, _requesting_ for your help on this matter. This is my last year in Shohoku, and I want to leave an outstanding record for the Times." Iwata changed tactics, playing his sympathy card in an attempt to bait her.

Mizuki's resolve was slowly waning. But she immediately accepted when she heard Satoshi mentioned something about recommending her to his father's friend for some part time job. She completely forgot any bitterness she felt for the guy when he sold her out to Iwata.

"Bri-*cough*bery." Iwata mimicked her previous reaction. Mizuki blushed, ashamed for being called out on her hypocrisy.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Yohei-chan. After all, we do what we need to do when faced with adversity. That is the law of survival."

"Naoki, give Yohei-chan here the research materials and the questionnaires provided by the Rukawa brigade. Also, we need a decent picture of this hotshot player, as the ones given by Satoshi-kun are useless. All of the pictures that were taken from him either show him sleeping or walking with his eyes closed. Come on people, we need an image of him in action! He's a basketball player for Pete's sake, take photos of him doing some flashy dunks or something!" The editor-in-chief commanded his newspaper committee.

Naoki was carrying huge stack of papers on her hands and placed them in front of Mizuki's desk. "What's all this?" She asked her senior, staring at the myriad of papers in front of her.

The pig tailed girl smiled sweetly at her before replying in a rather icy tone, "What else, these are compilations of the Rukawa Fan's club most wanted questions on their idol. Be sure to include one of their queries in the article, if you want their claws off your back. Anyway, _Goodluck._ "

"Thanks. I will surely need all the luck I can get."

She took a deep breath and looked at the pile of papers on her desk. Just a few minutes ago, she was adamant that she can avoid any future interaction with Rukawa. But it seems that fate was just not on her side.

A chilling thought suddenly crossed her mind.

"Oh boy, the Rukawa Brigade will eat me alive."

* * *

A/N: Special thanks to my first ever reviewer, eve03. I'm really happy to know that you liked my story. (*wiping the tears of joy on my face)


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Slam Dunk. It is the sole property of Inoue Takehiko. There is no financial gain made from this and created for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

Chapter 6: Misconceptions and Obstacles

The sounds of squeaking rubber shoes on the floor tiles reverberated in the gymnasium. Ryota Miyagi, the basketball team's new captain, had his players do some conditioning drills during practice session, testing their endurance and getting them in best shape as much as possible. He had them sprinting from one baseline to the other multiple times.

Hanamichi Sakuragi, who just got back from his rehab stint last year, was running vigorously, overtaking his teammates in an apparent display of his relentless energy and stamina.

"What a show off." Ayako, the curly haired team manager, good-naturedly commented on the redhead's obvious and brazen attempt to impress their cute assistant manager.

"You're doing great, guys!" The girl who inspired Sakuragi to play basketball cheered from the sidelines.

Sakuragi's ears perked up when he heard Haruko's voice. Deeply motivated by her incessant zest, he began to increase his speed threefold. Fourfold…Hundredfold… Until he became just a blur. The other players, particularly the recent recruits, stared at him with their mouths hanging open in astonishment and awe at his unbelievable swiftness.

"Wow! Where does he get all those energy?! He's like a machine; he never seems to get tired!" One freshman exclaimed incredulously.

"Did he really injured his back and went to rehab?" Another player asked, perplexed at the redhead's quick recovery.

"Two more rounds, guys, and after that, we'll proceed to layup drills!" Ryota shouted, which made some of the players groaned in frustration.

 _"_ _Oh man! Ryota-kun is being extremely harsh today! Captain Akagi was not even this brutal during practice!"_ Yasuharu Yasuda, now on his senior and final year in Shohoku, can't help but compare the two captains.

With Akagi, Kogure and (surprisingly) Mitsui having graduated from highschool, the team had lost three of its major players, and Ryota; who had taken over the role of Akagi as captain, was feeling most of the pressure. He believed that since Akagi was able to lead the team to the InterHigh last year, it was expected from him to do the same, and to even surpass the achievements of the former captain. But the success of the team doesn't depend on him alone; it should be a joint effort. They must work together as a team aiming for the same goal: to conquer the nation.

The small but swift-footed point guard examined his fellow players, who are now doing layup drills as he previously instructed. One particularly tall freshman caught his interest. His massive height will definitely work to their advantage and can boost their defense. Ryota reminded himself to check the rookie's stat sheet before going home.

Rukawa is still as good as ever, and Ryota silently thanked his lucky stars that their ace decided to just stay here in Japan, instead of going to the U.S of A to pursue his basketball dream. With Rukawa's explosive performance and good offensive power, they still have a bigger chance of qualifying for the InterHigh games. Ryota also gave credit to Sakuragi's remarkable recovery, as the latter's unexpected comeback made quite an impact on the team, boosting their morale and making the session more invigorating. Although he tends to get on his nerves on some occasions, he had to admit that he miss having that featherbrained around, practice was rather boring without him. He was genuinely happy to see him back after only a few months stint in the rehabilitation center.

" _That guy is really something else."_ Ryota mused. But there's no way he would ever admit that to Sakuragi. After all, the latter has a tendency to be extremely cocky, and giving him compliments will only inflate his already oversized ego.

Still, Sakuragi has a lot of things to learn..and relearn again..

Like doing layups for example.

Ryota breathe out a sigh of disappointment as he watched the redheaded buffoon whined in annoyance as he repeatedly missed his layup shots. The flow of the drill was disrupted by Sakuragi's hogging of the basketball court. Ryota was about to smack him in the head for ruining the workout when he heard the dulcet voice of Ayako. His eyes immediately transformed into two large red heart shapes, which had some of the guys sweatdropping.

"Coach Anzai is requesting for a ten minutes break!" Ayako shouted. A number of players collapsed on the floor, clearly worn out from today's brutal exercises.

Sakuragi remained standing and stared at the basketball in his hands. _"Strange. Why can't I get the ball in?"_

"You're using too much force when shooting, Hanamichi." Ryota , who's now back to his senses after his Ayako-induced stupor, reprimanded his redhead friend. "Have you forgotten your training before? Shoot with your right arm as you lift your right leg. And remember to relax your shoulders and gently put the ball in."

"Training?" Sakuragi's eyes began to glaze over as he take a trip down to memory lane, where images of Haruko and him in what he called _their_ secret special training from the previous year filled his mind. How he thought she looked so adorable when she showed him the tricks in doing a layup. And the most eventful experience for him was the part where he got to hold her hands for the very first time.

"The layup is an essential basketball move, and you should practice constantly until the action becomes instinctive and your muscles get used to the action. Release the ball gently into the – hey! Pay attention, Hanamichi!" Ryota snapped his fingers loudly in front of the redhead's face to gain his attention. The latter blinked and focused his eyes, albeit dazed, on the smaller guy standing before him.

After regaining his senses, Sakuragi snapped at him for disrupting his pleasant daydreams. "What are you babbling about, Ryo-chin?! There's no need to lecture me about the basics! You're the one who seems to forget that I am the **Basketball Genius**!" With that declaration, he began to approach the basket again, dribbling the ball while running and launching it gently with his right hand. The ball made a swishing sound as it went into the ring.

"Nyahahah! See! I told ya! Amazing shot made by the one and only Tensai of Shohoku!" Sakuragi exclaimed triumphantly into the crowd, making victory sign with his fingers.

"Good job, Sakuragi-kun!" Haruko complimented his successful layup shot. "I'm glad you recalled what we have practiced before."

Sakuragi let out another maniacal laugh upon hearing her praise. "Of course, Haruko-chan! This Tensai will not dare forget them!"

Ryota shook his head at the redhead's giddy expression. _"Tsk. That guy is like a puppy that's been rewarded with a pat on the head."_

"But don't push yourself too much, Sakuragi-kun. You just recovered, and we don't want you straining your back and getting injured again, right Miyagi-senpai?" Haruko said, while distributing bottled water to the two of them.

"Right." Ryota agreed with her. He grabbed the bottled water from her, muttered his thanks and took a long gulp to quench his thirst.

"There's no need to worry, Haruko-chan! This body is 100% healed and ready to play basketball again! I will surely beat that kitsune's stinking butt this time!" Sakuragi declared haughtily.

"All talk." Rukawa muttered as he passed by, not giving them any glance.

He went to sit on one of the benches, wiping the sweat on his flawless face with a towel.

"Oh yeah? Let's have a match right now to see who the true ace of Shohoku is! Or are you too tired or too chicken shit to play one on one?!"

Sakuragi said tauntingly to Rukawa. The raven haired boy just ignored him, not planning on wasting his remaining energy arguing with the dou ahou. He rests his left arm on the back of the bench while his right hand took a swig from his water bottle, looking very much relaxed and content.

His nonchalant attitude pissed the redhead even more. "You arrogant basta-!" A loud whack was heard as Sakuragi received the full force of their team manager's infamous paper fan.

"Quit your yapping, Sakuragi!" Ayako scolded the hot-tempered player.

"Oouchh! You don't have to be so violent, Ayako-san!" Sakuragi mumbled, rubbing the top of his head where a huge bump instantly sprouted.

"Serves you right." Rukawa muttered under his breath. Sitting forward, he rested his elbows on his knees, a white towel draped around his neck.

He expected another rebuttal from the easily peeved idiot but it seems that Sakuragi's attention was drawn on someone else. He followed his line of sight, and standing at one of the gym's doorway is none other than rooftop girl.

"Bumpkin!" Sakuragi's rambunctious voice was heard in the entire gymnasium. All heads turn to look for the source of the commotion.

He eagerly went to greet his long-time friend, Mizuki, who's shifting in her feet, clearly uncomfortable being in the limelight.

"Have you come to watch this Tensai play, huh?!" He asked as soon as he reached her. Before Mizuki could make any kind of remark, Sakuragi pointed to someone behind her.

"Who's the beanpole?" He inquired of the lanky guy standing nervously across from him. If Satoshi thought Rukawa was scary, then this redhead guy frightened the hell out of him even more.

"Is he your boyfriend, huh, Spunky?" Sakuragi called her by one of his many nicknames for her.

"Shut it,Hanamichi." She whispered harshly.

"Oohh- Spunky and Spooky! What a perfect tandem!" He wiggled his eyebrows mischievously at her. Mizuki resisted the urge to punch him for making demented assumptions between her and Satoshi. She was planning on making her presence felt as little as possible and opted to just make an observation first on her latest assignment for the newspaper; but his loudmouth buddy just had to ruin her plans and announced her arrival for the entire student body to hear.

"Will you shut up and listen to me for a sec!" She hissed, dragging Sakuragi out of the gym to avoid the curious stares they were getting from the crowd.

The redhead slipped his hands on the inner sides of his basketball shorts, pouting like a petulant child who was scolded by his mother.

"Are you ready to listen now?" Mizuki crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a murderous glare.

Convinced that she had his full attention now, Mizuki motioned for Satoshi to come near them so she can introduce him to Sakuragi to prevent anymore unnecessary teasing from him. Satoshi reluctantly approach them, keeping a good distance from Sakuragi.

"Hanamichi, meet Satoshi-kun, a fellow member of the newspaper club and a second year student as well. Satoshi-kun, this idiot right here is Sakuragi-kun."

Satoshi bowed deeply towards him. "P-pleased to m-meet you, Sakuragi-kun."

"Nyahahah! Don't ya dare forget the name, Satoshi-kun, for someday it shall be included in Japan's Hall of Fame!" He strongly whammed his right palm against the skinny guy's back which caused him to fall and face planted on the ground.

"Hanamichi! Stop bullying him!" Mizuki berated him as she helped Satoshi stand up, and then gathered the dropped folders and notebooks on her arms.

"Hey, it's not my fault that he's such a wimp!" Sakuragi protested indignantly.

Mizuki rubbed her face furiously with her right hand while hugging Satoshi's folders on her chest with her other hand. It wouldn't do her any good if she loses whatever's left of her patience. Besides, she requires Sakuragi's complete cooperation for her plan to go smoothly. She knew full well that once he learned the real reason why she was here, he would most definitely throw a tantrum. But it's better that he find out now, than to hear them from the other students. She had a greater chance of suppressing his hissy fit and angry rants; a little coaxing and sugar coating will absolutely do the trick.

"Hanamichi, I need to tell you something and I want you to hear me out first. No interruptions until I finished my speech. And no matter what, I don't want you going berserk or anything. Can you promise me that?"

"I guess.."

"Wrong answer. I want you to promise. Do the pinky swear." She held out her smallest finger towards him.

Sakuragi frowned at her but still caved in and hook his right pinkie with her, sealing the deal. "Okay!Okay! I promise..Geez, what's this racket all about anyway?!"

"Patience is a virtue, my friend… Anyway, like I've told you a while ago, me and Satoshi-kun are members of the newspaper club. And it is the responsibility of a journalist to do some background research, gather information and cover stories that keeps the readers informed, and well, entertained. And if a certain topic or let's say, a person, captures the interests of the entire student body of Shohoku High, then we have to deliver the story to comply with their demands, and once we fulfilled the readers ultimate desires, the club will eventually receive a positive feedback from the school faculty, and gain a wide range of viewers at the same time."

She paused for a moment, and cleared her throat before speaking again, watching the redhead warily. "You see, a news writer is required to be on the scene of the story to collect info, take photos and do interview for their article. And since basketball is quite the 'in' sport right now at Shohoku, our editor-in-chief decided to feature one of the players in next month's issue of the Times. You know the old saying; strike while the iron is hot… That's exactly what our club is doing, acting immediately when an opportunity presents itself."

"So yeah, the real reason we are here was to conduct some research on this player… I hope you're not too offended that I didn't come here to watch you practice.. But I want you to know that I am very proud of what you've accomplished as a basketball player."

"Nah! No biggies, Zuki! Besides, you've seen me play before. I totally rule the court, right?! Nyahahah!"

"Does that mean that you're not mad? No hard feelings whatsoever? No violent outbursts or angry fits?!" Mizuki asked, not quite convinced with the redhead's placid reaction.

"What can I say? I'm a changed man! Basketball really transformed me into a better person!" Sakuragi confidently answered, puffing his chest out with pride.

"Is that so?" She replied, still doubtful of him.

"Uh-huh… By the way, when do you want my picture taken? I strongly suggest that you took a photo of me while doing the slam dunk, or maybe you can add 3 or more photos of me performing a series of lay-ups, rebounds and fadeaway shots." He informed them while ticking the list on his fingers.

Mizuki sweatdropped as she finally discovered the reason behind his calm demeanor. Beside her, Satoshi began to break into a sweat.

"I t-think we should just come b-back some other d-day, Yohei-chan." Satoshi told her.

"Don't be afraid of me, Beany. I don't bite." Sakuragi laid his arm lazily on his shoulder, which only made the gangly teenager more scared.

"Huh. You're quite tall! Maybe you should leave that boring club and transferred to our basketball club! What say you, Beany?"

"I'm not r-really-uhmm- good at s-sports." Satoshi answered in a tizzy, knees trembling, anxious at their close proximity.

"Do not fear, the Tensai is here! Under my guidance and strong leadership, I will make sure that you'll learn all the basics and become a true basketball player in no time! I shall be your mentor, and you shall become my _accomplice_. Sounds promising, right?!"

 _"_ _Accomplice?Is he planning on committing a murder?!"_ Satoshi nearly fainted from the thoughts that are running through his head.

"It's _apprentice_ , Hanamichi, and stop scaring the poor guy!" Mizuki swatted his arm away from Satoshi. "And for the record, the article is not about you, Hanamichi. I'm sorry that you misunderstood my words.."

Sakuragi turned his head to look at her, his mouth comically hanging open.

A deafening silence filled the air…

After a few moments, an ear-splitting scream can be heard inside the gym. Coach Anzai almost spilled his coffee when the piercing sound echoed through the room.

"No!No!No! I forbid the two of you to enter this gym!" Sakuragi told them after letting out a string of profanities when he learned that the article was about Rukawa. _"There is no way I would ever let that teme kitsune steal all the glory."_ He thought angrily, his blood boiling at the prospect of his mortal enemy being featured in the school paper. Worst, his Haruko-chan will probably grab a copy of the article herself.

"Hanamichi! You made the pinky promise! And quit manhandling Satoshi! It's not his idea!"

Sakuragi released his grip on the scrawny guy's shoulders and stared at the short-haired girl, his eyes burning with accusations. "Mito's right!"

"About what?" She asked, surprised at the abrupt mention of her cousin.

"Where is that douchebag when you needed him the most?!"

"Mito and the other guys are preparing for the audition tomorrow. And why did you mention him? What's he got to do with this?

"He said there's something weird going on between you and that kitsune! And he is right! You plan this interview all along just to spite me!You collaborated with him and become his _accomplice_ to destroy me! To destroy your very own best friend!" He pointed an accusing finger on her.

Mizuki rolled her eyes at his overacting. And Mito had the gall to call her out for her preposterous theories and assumptions. Sakuragi was a lot worse than her, even doubting her loyalty to him.

"Are you done with the melodramatic acting? Honestly,Hanamichi. I can't believe you would ever think so low of me." She slapped his hand away from her face.

"Let's clear some things here, shall we? First, there is absolutely nothing going on with me and Rukawa. Heck, I don't even know if he knows my name or remotely remembers me, he spend most of his time sleeping in class anyway. Second, I am not his accomplice or anything. I just found out today that I am going to do the interview. Apparently, the girl who's supposed to do them fainted twice at the mere sight of Rukawa, either because she got too scared of him or he just got a severe case of body odor."

"It's most definitely the latter." Sakuragi insinuated.

"Third, how long have we known each other?"

"Umm… Let's see...I've met you when I was 8 years old… " He counted on his fingers.

"9 years, Hanamichi. We've known each other for 9 freaking years. Have I not proven my friendship? Is it not enough that you dare accused me of trying to ruin you?!That is totally inconceivable!"

"Er- I guess I overreacted." Sakuragi mumbled. His face is bowed down and he's staring at the ground while twiddling his thumbs. A sure sign that he's feeling guilty with what he said to her. Mizuki tried to hide her smile and pretended that she's still mad at him.

"So..Do you still think that I plan this interview just to spite you?" She asked in which he replied with a slight shake of his head.

"Okay. That settles it, then. If you don't have any more objections, can we go inside the gym now?"

"But-"

"Hanamichi. You know that one of my dreams is to become a full-fledged journalist, right?"

"Yes, but you also wanted to be an artist, botanist, pilot, doctor, empress of Japan…"

Mizuki rubbed her forehead with her fingers in irritation. "Will you stop being so stubborn and just help me out?"

"Sure, if you want, I can tie that kitsune so you can beat the shit out of him." He suggested.

"There is no beating or any sort of violence that will occur. It is just a simple interview, Hanamichi. We'll just take a picture of him, request for an interview and then write an article about him. That's it! Why are you being so difficult?! And don't you dare start whining again! Haruko will never like you if you keep that kind of attitude." She whispered the last sentence so Satoshi wouldn't hear it.

At the mention of Haruko's name, Sakuragi began to mellow down. "You think so?"

"I know so. Girls got easily turn off when a guy whines too much and seems to have inferiority complex. We prefer guys who are sophisticated, confident, mature and smart. A real man."

"A real man, huh?" Sakuragi stroked his chin with his index and thumb finger in a contemplative manner.

"Yes. A sign of maturity is when you stop being so jealous of Rukawa and end your everyday squabbles with him. Geez, how can you work efficiently as a team if you always fight with him?"

"A real man." Sakuragi repeated to himself.

"Yeah…so everything's okay? Will you let us do what we came here for? Without any death threats or savage acts whatsoever?"

"What sort of person do you think I am?!I'm not a barbaric guy, Zuki. I am a sophisticated, confident, mature and smart **man**!" Sakuragi exclaimed, offended by her choice of words. "Well, what are you two waiting for? Why are you standing there like statues? Go inside now. Time is running out..Tick-Tock. Tick -Tock."

Satoshi looked at the redhead like he had grown two heads all of a sudden. Mizuki just shakes her head like his weird behavior is an everyday occurrence to her.

As they enter the gymnasium, she could feel their eyes watching them. Mizuki tried not to stumble, and did her best to walk with her head held up. She'd better get used to the attention; after all, she hangs out with two of the well-known delinquents in school.

But it is a different case for Satoshi. The lanky guy was a nervous wreck, tripping several times from the short walk to the other side of the indoor gym. It's a good thing she took the folders and notebooks he was holding a while ago, it would have been more embarrassing on his part if he repeatedly drop his stuff to the floor.

Haruko was the first one to greet them. "Hello, Mizuki-chan, Satoshi-kun. Good to see both of you again."

"S-Same to you, Akagi-san." Satoshi acknowledged her with his body bend into a 90 degrees bow.

"Have you come to watch Sakuragi-kun practice?"

"Well, kind of.." Mizuki hesitantly replied. She saw a curly haired lady in a backward cap and a guy with an earring, whose hair is curled up at the top, approached their group.

"Care to introduce us to your new friends, Hanamichi ?" Ayako asked with a smile.

"Ah, of course.." Sakuragi replied. "Ayako-san, Ryota-kun, allow me to introduce Mizuki –chan, a dear friend of mine, who's also the cousin of Mito. Zuki-chan, this is Ayako, our basketball team manager and the guy beside her is Ryota, our team Captain. Oh, and this tall guy here is Satoshi-kun, he and Zuki-chan are both members of the newspaper club."

All five of them had their mouths hanging open in utter bewilderment at the redhead's uncharacteristic display of politeness.

"Did you hit your head, Hanamichi?" Ryota began to pull the taller guy's head down so he can inspect if he suffered any injuries.

"Who are you and what have you done with Hanamichi?" Ayako inquired, and place her palm on his forehead to check his temperature. "Maybe you oughta take a rest… See Ryota, I told you, your drills are too severe!"

"But Aya-chan, he was doing fine a while ago. There must be another reason why he's acting so differently. " Ryota said before turning his attention to the two newcomers. "Did something happen back there?"

"Don't worry about him; he'll be back to his abnormal self soon. I suggest that you make the most of it while it lasts." Mizuki said to him in a hushed tone.

"Zuki-chan, do you want me to talk to that teme kitsune- I mean, Rukawa, about the article?" Sakuragi asked her.

"Eh?!" The rest of them exclaimed in unison. The other players, who are currently resting after an exhausting workout, watch their interaction in obvious curiosity.

"NO!.. I mean, that's really nice of you, but I don't want to impose.. Besides, I thought you have something to discuss with Haruko-chan." Mizuki said, hoping to distract him.

"I have?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Her ruse to sidetrack him seems to be working. She pushed him towards Haruko. " You're getting old Hana-kun, you keep forgetting stuff. You're supposed to ask Haruko-chan if she can help you with the audition."

"Wait,what audition?" Ryota cut in.

While Sakuragi was busy explaining to his captain, Mizuki's mind was preoccupied on planning her next course of action.

Operation Tame the Fox shall now commence.

First objective: Eliminate the obstacle – Done.

She must act fast and take advantage of the redhead's distraction at the moment. Her eyes moved around the gym, searching for the enigmatic blue eyed boy. After a brief search, she spotted him sitting on one of the benches across the room, looking bored as always.

Second objective: Persuade the subject

Their second objective will definitely be difficult, if not, impossible task to attain. But she's not giving up now. After all, she's a Yohei, and they are not one to back down from a challenge.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Slam Dunk. It is the sole property of Inoue Takehiko. There is no financial gain made from this and created for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

Chapter 7: The Taming of the Kitsune

 _One only understands the things that one tames….Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more._

 _-Antoine de Saint-Exupery_ _, The Little Prince_

"So, how did the two of you meet?"

Mizuki's inner contemplation was momentarily cut off by Ayako's query.

She turned her head to look at the lady manager and found her watching Sakuragi, who's trying to maintain his cool at Ryota's non-stop badgering about the play.

"He tagged along with Mito to Chiba one time during summer vacation. Since then, it became a tradition for him to spend the summer break in our place."

"He must really like that place."

"Yes. But he wasn't able to visit last year as he was busy with the Interhigh games. He'll probably miss it again this year…" Mizuki trailed off, remembering the conversation she overheard between her aunt and uncle; about their intention to have the farm house put on sale because of financial difficulties. Perhaps, the tradition has finally come to an end. She suddenly felt homesick again and swallowed the lump forming on her throat.

"But it's okay if he skipped the tradition this year, as long as he achieves his dream of getting into the nationals." She added, trying to diffuse the negative thoughts running through her head.

The curly haired manager nodded in assent; the abrupt change in Mizuki's mood did not escape her notice.

"Hana-kun was the talk of the town when he first came to visit. After all, it's not every day that you get to see a kid with a flaming red hair."

"And a loud mouth to boot." Ayako said jokingly, in an attempt to put the short haired girl at ease.

Mizuki let out a small laugh. "Actually, it's quite the opposite. He's reserved and a bit shy at that time."

Ayako's jaw slacked open in utter bewilderment at her revelation. "No way! You've got to be kidding me."

"I know it's kinda hard to imagine him not being his usual obnoxious self, but time really do change people." Mizuki's smile turned wistful, her thoughts strayed back to the first time she'd met the redhead. Their initial encounter wasn't at all chummy, due largely to the fact that she's very hostile towards him. She didn't like him before and she spent most of the time antagonizing the bizarre color of his hair.

"You and Hanamichi go way back, huh?"

"Yup. Way, way back. I've known him since we were eight."

Ayako gave a low whistle of amazement. "It's nice to hear that he's capable of keeping friendship despite his crabby attitude." She took another glance at the redhead, who's still engaged in what's becoming a heated argument with the team captain, before shifting her attention to the intriguing girl and her jittery companion.

"So, I heard that you two are from the newspaper club. Is that part of the reason why you and your partner came for a visit? Or you came solely to watch Hanamichi practice?"

Mizuki was taken aback by her perceptiveness. But then she realized that it's not the first time that someone from the news club had made an appearance during their basketball session. Her fellow club member and senior, Naoki-san , immediately came to her mind. Ayako probably witnessed the girl's ungraceful fainting.

 _'Perhaps, Ayako-senpai can help them achieve their mission.'_ Being the manager, Mizuki surmised that Ayako had a big influence on her team members and she can certainly persuade the snotty ace player to do the interview.

While the rest of the crowd had their attention focused on Sakuragi and Ryota's bickering, Mizuki began explaining to Ayako the real purpose of their visit.

xxxxx

Rukawa trudged along behind Ayako as she headed outside the gym. She approached him a while ago and mentioned that she had something to discuss with him and asked him to follow her. The sudden appearance of her wicked paper fan made him yield to her demand without any protests.

As he stepped outside, Rukawa was momentarily confused when he saw rooftop girl standing a few meters away, apparently waiting for the two of them. But considering the unusual request of his team manageress to speak with him beyond the confines of the gym, it would seem that she's waiting specifically for _him_.

Rukawa aimed a questioning glare at his senpai. _'Is she trying to set me up with rooftop girl?'_ She should learn by now that her matchmaking skills were a total failure. He remembered the incident last year where she forced him (meaning dragged his sleeping body) and dumped him into the Ferris wheel with that Akagi girl. He was roused from his deep sleep by the wobbling and swaying of the suspended seat and all remnants of his drowsiness dissolved in an instant when he discovered his whereabouts: hanging a hundred feet from the ground on a rusty and rickety Ferris wheel. He tried to keep a calm composure, hiding the fact that he was scared out of his wits. While trying to suppress his fear of heights, he became aware of someone leaning into his shoulders. He turned to his left and saw a girl sitting beside him. He realized, after his brain started functioning again, that the girl was his Captain's little sister, Haruko, who's barely recognizable because her face has turned to color green and her eyes were swirling rapidly. It would seem that she's in a much worse condition than him. He recalled that he warned her not to puke on him, and fortunately, she obliged. After what seems like an eternity for him, the hellish ride finally ended. Knowing that he can never exact his revenge to their team manager, he settled with giving his senpai a murderous glower at that time… which intensified even more at the moment.

Ayako chose to ignore his defiant attitude and proceed to explain the reason why she brought him here, lest he made any assumptions that she's interfering with his love life. She tried, once, but it didn't work out the way she wanted. What she had envisioned for Haruko and Rukawa at that time was a romantic Ferris wheel ride, but alas, it ended up with their ace being extremely pissed towards her and Haruko passed out, either as a result of her fear of heights or her close proximity to him. After the incident, she stopped playing matchmaker and let time and circumstances decide for them. She had to wonder, what are the odds that their aloof ice king will get interested in anyone?

 _'Anything can happen, that's for sure.'_

Mizuki kept her stance steady, and schooled her expression so as not to give away any of her feelings. She listened as Ayako started explaining to Rukawa, using a somewhat soothing and apologetic tone as an attempt to placate the scowling guy.

 _'What a brat.'_ Mizuki bristled at his obnoxiously self -important attitude. She allowed herself to study the pompous grumpy guy standing in front of her. He was obviously from a well to do family, judging from his branded clothes, bearing and his noticeably brand new basketball shoes. She resisted the impulse to slam her worn out shoes against his pristine white ones.

 _'Some people just seem to get all the luck.'_ She thought bitterly.

Her thoughts were so consumed on how she's going to smudge dirt on his shoes that she didn't notice that Ayako was now speaking to her. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh! Ayako-senpai! Sorry I was distracted for a moment. Uhmm, What were you saying again?"

Rukawa snorted in annoyance which earns him an icy glare from the short-haired girl.

Ayako just covered her mouth to stifle her giggle and waved her hand in dismissal. "No worries, Mizuki-chan. After all, you're not the only one who's overly curious with our Ace player's shoe size."

She gaped at her senpai, surprise evident in her face. But Ayako's next statement had her spluttering in shock.

"You know what they say about big-footed men. The size of their shoes is an indicator of the size of their.. you know… _manhood._ " Ayako said while wiggling her eyebrows mischievously.

 _'She did not just say that!'_ Mizuki's face turned crimson with embarrassment, wishing that the ground will swallow her whole. All of her efforts to remain indifferent throughout the conversation were thrown immediately into the window with their senior's offhanded remark about Rukawa's shoesize. She's beginning to regret her plan of getting Ayako-senpai to help. It seems that she's just making the situation a lot more awkward for the two of them.

A glance at Rukawa revealed he, too, was totally uncomfortable with the sudden turn of the conversation. Mizuki watched, in slight fascination as the tips of his ears reddened. At least, he's still capable of showing emotion, such as embarrassment _. 'He's not a full blown ice block, after all.'_ She was a little in awe that she was able to witness this different side of him. But as quickly as it happened, the uneasiness ended, replaced by a frown marring his handsome face.

The somewhat impish curly haired manager was secretly enjoying the spectacle in front of her. It was rare for their aloof ace player to be caught off guard, much less fidget at some random comment _. 'And Mizuki-chan looks oh so adorable when she's blushing! Oh my, they look kind of cute together… I wonder – Uh-oh! He's back to his cranky and moody self. I'd better do something to remedy the situation.'_

"Anyway, as I was saying a while ago, Mizuki-chan here was assigned by their club president to do an article for the Shohoku Times, our school's official newspaper. Mizuki-chan, could you please brief Rukawa-kun regarding the subject matter? "

"Ah y-yes, of course, Ayako-senpai." Mizuki answered, falteringly. She cleared her throat slightly, forced a smile and shifted her eyes towards him.

Chocolate brown orbs clashed with a pair of cobalt blue eyes.

"Hi there, Rukawa-kun." She gave a small wave of greeting in which he didn't return. She already expected that rude attitude of his so she continued speaking. "Me and my fellow club member, Satoshi-kun, who's currently missing in action, belong to the same class as you, in case you haven't noticed… Or maybe you did notice, but just didn't care.. Not that I care if you didn't notice at all and I'm not talking about the type of care as being concern with our welfare, but a whole lot different kind of care, like being aware who your classmates were." Her aimless blubbering brought another wave of warmth crawling up her neck. Not able to withstand the intensity of his stare, she glanced way from him, self-consciously tugging at her bangs, making sure they covered her forehead.

"So, yeah. As Ayako- senpai had mentioned, I was given the task of doing an article for next month's edition of the Times. Since basketball had caught the interest of the majority of the student body, (' _mostly females, but he doesn't need to know about that'_ ) our editor-in-chief decided to feature the best among all the players, the cream of the crop, the ace of Shohoku, which is _you_ , Kaede Rukawa. (' _Go on,Mizu, feed his already over-inflated ego')_ I believe that you already met one of our members and co-writer, Naoki-senpai. She was supposed to do an interview with you last week, but due to unexpected circumstances, she was unsuccessful. Our EIC then transferred the assignment to me. That's why I'm here. To gather info on Shohoku's most _outstanding_ player." She congratulated herself mentally for managing to speak without any stammering on her part. Her eyes focused back on him and found him watching her with that irritatingly bored look on his face.

 _'This guy's a real piece of work!'_

Mizuki cleared her throat again before she began to speak. "I was wondering if you could inform me when you will be free, so we could schedule the interview." Hugging the folders tightly to her chest, she rummaged through her sling bag, picking up a pen and notepad to record the date and time. When silence ensues, Mizuki looked up from her notepad, awaiting his response. They've been standing here for several minutes now and she hasn't even heard him utter a single syllable.

"Well?" She asked, her patience wearing thin.

"Geez, you gonna talk or just stare and drool all day? – oh shoot!" Realizing her slip, she clamped both of her hands over her mouth. She shot a glance at Ayako, who's torn between awe and shock from her brazen comment.

"Not interested." Rukawa replied in a clipped tone, before turning his back and walking away.

"Wait, Rukawa!" Mizuki grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. They both flinched from the sudden contact of their skin. Rukawa drew his arm away quickly, as if burned from her touch, but surprisingly, he remained standing, eyeing her warily and waited for her to continue.

Mizuki took a step back, giving them enough space as she racked her brain for an explanation for that crude remark… and the electric spark she felt when she accidentally touched his arm. _'What in the world was that? Did he felt it too?'_

Ayako watched the scene unfolding in front of her with interest. To an outsider, it would seem like the blushing girl was somehow confessing her true feelings to the tall boy. And instead of brushing her off like he usually did to his horde of fangirls, Rukawa decided to stick around this time. The manageress didn't fail to notice that his gaze wandered over the blushing girl's face for a moment before turning his eyes elsewhere, running his fingers through his ebony hair in the process.

 _'Huh. The ice cap is slowly melting.'_

She never would have believed it if someone told her that their normally reserved ace player was behaving out of character by staring at a girl. A dozen thoughts run simultaneously through her head. She remembered Haruko, her sweet and naïve assistant manager who have been on a one sided love affair with their star player for several years now. Even though she said that she's already over him, Ayako still catches her lingering gaze on him every once in a while. But she has also heard her talk about a _certain_ guy these past few days. She believes Haruko's confused with her emotions and still needed time to sort them out.

' _The same goes for me.'_ Ayako pondered on her feelings towards the basketball team's new captain, Ryota Miyagi. She's very much aware that he likes her, if she based them on the latter's consistent love struck eyes whenever she complimented him or smile at him. But, like most of the guys, he had some issue expressing himself. It feels like they are just running around in circles. Is he planning on making a move anytime soon or is he just content on _gawking_ at her from afar?

 _'He's so confusing!'_ The thought frustrated her so she turns her attention back to her two underclassman, who looks lost in their own little world, the team manager's presence already forgotten. She doesn't mind being ignored, as it would give her an opportunity to observe their actions without any further constraints. She wishes that she had a camcorder or even a camera with her so she could capture this rare moment.

Ayako knew Rukawa since junior high and she can attest that she had never seen him spend more than a minute listening to someone, much less a girl, without falling asleep or blatantly ignoring them. Unless of course, if it's basketball related or something of equal relevance. And knowing him and his I don't give a damn attitude; she knows that he wouldn't exactly consider being featured on the school newspaper as a great accomplishment. In fact, she was sure that he will think of it as a waste of time, energy and paper. So, why in the world hasn't he left yet?

 _'Today is really full of surprises.'_ Ayako reflected, and the question that she asked herself a while ago; whether there is any possibility that someone might catch Rukawa's attention, seems to have been given an answer.

 _'Anything can happen, indeed.'_

* * *

 **A/N:** At long last, after six chapters, they finally got to talk to each other. Hooray! (Although, Rukawa managed to only deliver two words. =P) The journey towards their happily ever after will be quite a long one, so please be patient with the story.

Btw, Christmas is fast approaching, and I'm sorta "expecting" a gift from you, fellow SD fans. This particular gift doesn't need any wrappings. *wink wink Advance Merry Christmas! (=^_^=)


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Slam Dunk. It is the sole property of Inoue Takehiko. There is no financial gain made from this and created for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

Chapter 8: What Does The Fox Say?

 _She never looked nice,_

 _She looked like an art,_

 _and art wasn't supposed to look nice-_

 _it was supposed to make you feel something._

 _-Rainbow Rowell_

Mizuki stood an arm's length before him, her face beet red from her initial outburst to him and her mind still reeling from the static she experienced not more than a few minutes ago.

Eyes lowered to the ground, she began to speak, cringing slightly when her voice started to waver. "I –uhmm- apologize for t-the drooling remark, Rukawa-kun. I'm just…I don't know, frustrated, maybe?" Mizuki said sheepishly, casting him a brief glance before dropping her gaze back to her own shoes, deliberately avoiding looking at Rukawa's brand new kicks. After Ayako's blunt remark, she doesn't think she can ever look at his shoes, or any other guys' shoes for the matter, without her face exploding into embarrassment.

She took a deep breath before continuing, "I admit, I fought with our editor-in-chief when he coerced me to do this task. I mean, on normal circumstances, I would have accepted the job without too much resistance on my part for it was m **y** responsibility as a member of the Newspaper club. The task was proven to be quite difficult - no offense Rukawa-kun, but talking to you is like talking to a brick wall, or a Greek go - er – statue.. I hope that you don't feel that this interview is a total waste of time, and I definitely do not intend to pry on your privacy." She glanced up to check if he's still awake, but fortunately for her, it seems that he has no intention of falling asleep anytime soon. Hope flickered within her, encouraging her to continue.

"I'll do my best to deviate from topics that are deemed rude or too forward for you. (' _Shoe sizes are absolutely a taboo subject'_ ) Think of this as some sort of preparation, grooming you for bigger and better things, like joining the NBA. "

Mizuki was certain she saw his eyes gleamed in response.

"I'm pretty sure reporters will be swarming around you, eager to get the first scoop about you. Fame has its benefits and its drawbacks; believe me, those shrieking fans of yours are nothing compared to those paparazzi stalkers. Being good inside the court is one thing, but please also reflect on your actions _outside_ of the court. I'm not being a pessimist; I'm merely stating the fact that other people won't be as understanding and as forgiving with that I-don't-give-a-damn attitude of yours. You cannot simply escape or ignored the others just because you can, it doesn't always work that way… So, with that said, perhaps you can reconsider our club's request to interview you."

She looked at him expectantly, internally chanting a mantra. _'Say yes. Say yes. Say yes.'_

"Break time is over, Senpai."

 _'Say yes. Say yes. Say – what?!'_

Mizuki remained standing, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief as she watched his retreating back. What in the world just happened? She thought for a moment that she'll be able to convince him, as he didn't seem to mind her presence; even staying awake on the duration of her monologue.

"Arrghhh! Why is he being so bloody difficult?!" She whined while stomping her feet on the ground, letting all the pent up anger out. Her behavior was rather childish and very Sakuragi like, but right now, she doesn't give a damn. She felt entirely put out by his downright rude attitude. "I already apologized to him! What more does he want?" She asked herself again.

"Now, now, Yohei-chan. You need to calm down." Ayako appeared beside her and gave her shoulder a light squeeze.

"Is he always that inconsiderate?" She grumbled, still upset with Rukawa's unpleasant manner.

"Trust me, Yohei-chan, the Rukawa you encountered today is a lot more tame and receptive than he usually was. It looks like that you are making progress after all. Just don't give up, okay?" Ayako answered her query.

"Really? How can you be sure?" Mizuki can't help but feel skeptical, but then again, she's being completely unfair with him, mostly relying on the gang's prejudiced impression of him.

"I assure you, I've never seen Rukawa _so_ attentive to anyone before, unless of course if its basketball related. And he seems mildly curious too. Hmm.. I wonder why." The curly haired manageress stroked her thumb against her chin, her lips turned up in a meaningful smile as she studied the girl in front of her. "Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens next."

Before Mizuki can ask her to elaborate further, Ayako started walking back to the gym. She slowed down once she reached the gym's entrance, turning her head with her eyebrows raised, Ayako said to her, "Don't you have an article to do, Yohei-chan?"

Mizuki followed her senpai, not knowing what else to do.

Unbeknownst to them, hidden beneath the shadows of the school's gymnasium was another student, who also witnessed their ace player's uncharacteristic behavior towards the short-haired girl. And this particular student wasn't the least bit happy about what she had observed.

xxxxx

To say that Mizuki was impressed with Rukawa's basketball skills would be an understatement. It was the first time that she had watched him play, and she must admit, he was a force to be reckoned with. He was doing extremely well, ruthlessly slaying his opponents, even though it was just a practice game. This guy was such an enigma, one minute he looks bored to death; the second he got a hold of basketball on his hands, he's all vibrant and ready to move in for the kill. Outside the court, one cannot help but admire his handsome features and physique, but inside the court; his grace, speed, determination and unquenchable competitiveness will surely blow anyone's minds away. There's something about the way in which he carries himself during the game; appearing so calm, focused and collected. She concluded that he is definitely at his best when he's playing basketball.

Mizuki could tell that everyone was working hard to win this game, and she knows that she should be cheering for Sakuragi, but she can't help but be drawn to Rukawa's extraordinary performance. Her eyes followed the latter's running form as he easily avoided one of the opposing player's block and effortlessly made a jump shot, his team leading by 8 points.

As soon as the ball slipped through the net, pandemonium erupted. Rukawa's hordes of fangirls began screaming their hearts out.

"Rukawa! Rukawa! L-O-V-E Rukawa!"

Inside the court, a certain redhead was definitely outraged with the current situation. He gave those shrieking Rukawa-obsessed girls the evil eye before turning his glare towards the player who was in charge of keeping an eye on his nemesis.

"Oi Yasuda! Why did you let him get passed you, huh? It shouldn't be that difficult to guard that kitsune! Maybe I should just switch with you, as you're obviously slacking on your job!" Sakuragi pointed a finger towards Yasuda as he mercilessly berated him.

"And you oughta get to score more instead of letting him do all the points for your team! Remember, don't ever pass the ball to him as that fox had a tendency on hogging the ba-."

A sharp kick at the back of his knee caused him to stumble and nearly fall. "Quit fooling around, Sakuragi and get your act together!"

"What the hell, Ryo-chin! That's no way to treat the secret weapon of Shohoku!" Sakuragi fumed, his eyebrows knotted in anger. This was not what he had envisioned for his comeback. "Damn that stupid fox!" He grumbled before returning to guard his designated opponent: a freshman who could rival Akagi in terms of height. Whilst their former captain was somewhat vicious-looking and gorilla like as Sakuragi often teased him, this rookie was the opposite of their former captain; what with his baby face features and innocent expression. Sakuragi didn't know whether he wants to punch or pinch the guy's rosy chubby cheeks. He gritted his teeth in frustration as he mentally cursed Ryota for assigning him with this amateur.

Mizuki let out a sigh as she watched her redheaded friend gone berserk -once again. _'So much for keeping his cool.'_ As expected of Sakuragi, he couldn't last an hour without losing his temper, already forgetting his earlier intention of ending his immaturity and impetuous attitude. That volatile nature and revolting mouth of his will surely become his downfall. But in all fairness to him, he didn't fight back when he received a kick from his captain. _'Maybe it's a sign that he's somehow learning to control his temper?'_

"Foul! White no. 10!" Third year student Satoru Kakuta declared, who's acting as the referee for the scrimmage.

 _'Or maybe not.'_ Mizuki massaged her temple in exasperation as she witnessed another blunder made by Sakuragi. Apparently, that idiot was being selective on who's going to earn the brunt of his ire. Number one on his list was, who else? It's without a doubt the ace of Shohoku, Kaede Rukawa. Clearly, jealousy and inferiority is still plaguing Sakuragi.

The ball that was carelessly passed to him by one of his teammates was quickly intercepted by Rukawa which further set the redhead off. Not wanting his rival to score another point, for fear that _his_ Haruko-chan will have those googly eyes again; he acted without thinking first – for the hundredth time.

Loud boos were heard from the school gymnasium as the mob of fangirls saw their idol plummet to the floor, _deliberately_ pushed by none other than the king of mischief himself, Hanamichi Sakuragi. Some of the girls were shouting to have the hare-brained ape thrown out of the game.

"Tsk! That guy is such a wimp!" Sakuragi grumbled as he raises his hand to acknowledge the foul.

"You okay, Rukawa-kun?" Yasuda asked as he extended his hand to help him up. The epitome of coolness, Rukawa simply shrugged, accepted his assistance and muttered his thanks. He silently proceeds to position himself behind the free throw line.

Their captain, however, was not as forgiving or as cool as their ace player. Ryota; with a large vein popping on his forehead, grabbed the back of Sakuragi's shirt and dragged him over to one corner of the gym. He began to admonish him, flailing his arms wildly and yelling some mild expletives towards him. Ayako immediately went to the pair to prevent the conflict from escalating further. With her presence, Ryota manage to have his temper in check and was able to calm down a bit, but not enough to have the redhead forgiven.

"Stay here and think about your actions. _And_ next time you did something stupid again, I will personally make it sure that you're not going to set foot on this gym floor ever again." Ryota threatened before making his way back to the center of the court while Ayako gave him a tight lipped smile before returning on her place near the scoreboard.

"How dramatic." Sakuragi rolled his eyes, but did not dare make any protest. He silently watched as Ryota picked another _amateur_ to substitute in his place. He hunched his shoulders in frustration and buried his hands on the sides of his basketball shorts. Deep inside, he was severely disappointed with his performance throughout the game.

2 points. He managed to score 2 measly points only. That is utterly unbelievable and unacceptable for a 'genius' like him!

Suddenly, his sulking was interrupted as he heard the most awful singing voice known to mankind.

"There he goes. There he goes again. Racing through my brain."

Sakuragi didn't need to turn around to confirm who that voice belongs to.

"Has anyone told you your voice sucks?" He said, still not looking at the owner of the voice.

"Has anyone told you your shooting skill sucks?" The person besides him retorted back.

"Oh, Burn!" Sakuragi finally turned his head to look at his tormentor. Warm large brown eyes stared right back at him, challenging him to contradict her. As expected, he took the bait.

 _'Hook, line and sinker.'_

"For your information, Zuki-chan, I am the reason we were able to defeat Sannoh from last year's Inter-High games. If it weren't for this Tensai's impressive skills and athleticism, who knows what will happen to the Shohoku team?" And the redhead relentlessly bragged about his vital role for the team's success in getting into the IH and beating one of Japan's most prestigious high school basketball team.

Mizuki simply nodded, muttering a few awed expressions once in a while in an effort to prevent him from moping any longer. She knew that he's feeling quite crestfallen and disheartened by his poor performance in today's practice match. Perhaps, his injury has taken its toll on him, testing his will and confidence in himself. He only scored 2 points today, and to add insult to the injury, he didn't even manage to obtain one fourth of Rukawa's score.

Mizuki can no longer make out what Sakuragi was saying as the latter's voice was abruptly overshadowed by the deafening roar of the crowd. And based on the audience ear splitting scream and enthusiastic chanting of Rukawa's name, it appears that he had scored again. As if drawn by some spell, her eyes sought him involuntarily, and her heart skipped a beat as their gazes locked briefly. She forced herself to calm down before she loses her mind and do something stupid; like have her name enlisted in his fan's club and joins the groupies in chanting his name. Surely he was aware of the effect he had on women. And as much as she'd like to think that she's immune to his sorcery, she found her defences slowly crumbling.

"Che! What's so great about him, anyway? It was just a lucky shot!" Sakuragi said grumpily.

Mizuki snapped back to her senses, and turned her eyes away from Rukawa's graceful form and dare she say well-toned body.

"I thought you promised to stop being envious of Rukawa?" She asked him, relieved by the distraction provided by the scowling redhead.

"Me? Envy that sleep maniac?! Not in the slightest! Wherever did you get that silly notion that this _Tensai_ is jealous of that incompetent bastard?" He all but shouted, deeply offended by her statement.

"Oh please. Don't bother denying it, Hanamichi. There are 2 colors to describe you at the moment. Red, which is the color of your hair. And green, which is normally associated with envy. And you, my friend, is reeking with envy. "

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" He demanded, turning his body to fully face her with his arms folded across his chest. "Hmp. Some friend you are."

"Of course, I'm on your side, you big idiot. But what you did out there was really rude, and you wonder why the crowd was being nasty towards you."

"Whatever! If anyone should be jealous here, it should be that dumb fox! **_His feeble skills are no match for the power_ _of_** this Tensai!Nyahaha!"

"If you say so, Darth Sidious." Mizuki shook her head; she knew there was nothing she could say that would alleviate his stubborn nature. _'What is it with these basketball players and their pig-headed attitude?'_

"By the way, where is that beanpole boyfriend of yours?" Sakuragi asked her in a teasing tone, taking notice of Satoshi's absence. "Lemme guess, he heard you singing and he freaked out?"

Mizuki simply rolled her eyes in response and began walking towards the bench where Haruko and the other players were located. She observed that Sakuragi tends to be more compliant and subdued when Haruko was within close proximity.

"Or maybe he got turned off by your clumsy and unladylike manner?" He followed after her, not stopping with the teasing. Only when Mizuki firmly jabbed him in the stomach and discreetly pointed towards Haruko that he finally shut his big mouth.

"H-Haruko-chan!" He greeted her in a stuttering voice.

The brown haired girl turned to his direction and gave Sakuragi her signature sweet smile that made the redhead float on the air. But his elation was only short lived as Haruko's attention shifted back to the game and uttered three words that made him fall to the ground in an exaggerated manner. He felt like his heart was stabbed multiple times.

"Good shot, Rukawa-kun!" Haruko shouted amidst the excitement.

Tears streaming down his face, (*cue the sad music and melancholy background of dark clouds and falling leaves) Sakuragi mourned for the miserable state of his love life.

"Rukawa's looking all fired up today, it's no wonder the girls are going bonkers." One of the players commented.

"He is truly the ace of Shohoku." Another benchwarmer said.

The last thing the two players saw before they fall unconscious to the floor was a blur of red and white.

Haruko, who's immensely engrossed in the game, was unaware of the commotion behind her.

Sakuragi who heard the pair's conversation was now seething with anger, a rapid 180 degrees change from his prior demeanor. A loudspeaker suddenly appears out of nowhere and landed on his hands. He wasted no time and began cheering for his and Ryota 's team to drown out the annoying shrieking of the crowd. Rukawa's groupies, not wanting to be outmatched by the redheaded monkey, began doubling their effort in shouting their support for their idol. Loud cheering reverberated throughout the stadium, and it felt like the room was shaking. Another loudspeaker materializes and Sakuragi handed them to Mizuki to help him with the yelling and jeering. The latter just shrugged and obliged him with his request.

"DEFENSE! DEFENSE!"

"Rukawa! Rukawa! L-O-V-E Rukawa!"

"20 seconds remaining, Guys!"

"WHAT THE HELL, YASUDA?! JUST KICK HIS SMELLY BUTT!"

"This is basketball, not UFC, you moron!"

"Concentrate on the game, Ryota!"

"A-Aya-chan!"

"YEAH, STAY FOCUSED ON THE GAME, RYO-CHIN!"

"Shut up! Nobody's asking for your opinion!"

"Ganbatte, Yasuda-senpai!"

"Huh?" Third year student Yasuda, who was not used in hearing his name being uttered by a female, began searching for the owner of the voice. He blush a deep shade of crimson when he saw a cute girl watching him from the side lines. He was too distracted by her presence that he failed to notice his opponent's eyes burning holes through him.

"Watch out, Yasuda!" But it was too late for Ryota's warning as the ball was stolen from Yasuda's grasp by none other than Rukawa.

Sakuragi let loose a string of profanities directed towards Rukawa and Yasuda, before he was halted by the strong whack from Ayako's lethal paper fan.

Mizuki, along with the others, watched in breathless wonder as Rukawa ran in breakneck speed towards his side of the court, avoiding numerous foes in a smooth maneuver, and proceeded in the ultimate killer move, the slam dunk.

The sound of the buzzer was heard, indicating the end of the game, with Rukawa's team winning the match.

"Good job, Rukawa." Ryota complimented him as he gave his junior a slight pat on the back. Rukawa merely nod in response, before heading towards the bench to grab his towel. As he passed them, he was greeted by words of congratulations and commendation by the other players with the exception of the Dou Ahou, of course. Haruko and Ayako also praised him, as well as the others, for a good and exciting practice game.

But the person Rukawa wanted to hear some sort of recognition the most was being strangely quiet. He had no idea why he was suddenly fishing out for compliments, but he knew she had hit a nerve, (and his ego, although, he would never admit that) when he heard her shouting her support for Yasuda. He shook his head to clear the image of her enthusiastic face off his mind and took a long swig on his water bottle. Nevertheless, he still cast a discreet look in her direction and nearly choked on his drink from the weird look rooftop girl is giving him. He'd seen that kind of stare countless times before from those shrieking girls, but this time, he felt something odd stirring on his stomach.

 _'Is **she** trying to put an evil spell on me?'_

Wiping his face with a towel, Rukawa composed himself and started walking towards her with slow, deliberate step, never once taking his eyes off her. He couldn't help but feel smug when he saw her brown eyes widened and lips parted in surprise.

Mizuki stood frozen on her spot, finding it harder to breathe, as if she's the one who played during the game. She was already having a difficult time suppressing her admiration on his impressive athleticism, and the awesome dunk he did a while ago was just.. WOW. But to find him giving her an intense look as he headed in her direction was too much for her to handle.

 _'Is **he** trying to put an evil spell on me?'_

After what felt like an eternity, he finally stopped in front of her. Mizuki's heart was pounding so loudly she was sure Rukawa and the entire student body could hear it. Unsure of what to do, she waited for him to speak first. But she remembered that it was Rukawa, and there's no way that this socially inept and speech impaired guy would initiate any conversation with her.

But boy, was she wrong.

"Huh?" She tilted her head in a confused manner as Rukawa pointed his index finger to the floor.

 _'Or is he pointing at my shoes? Was he making fun of me about the shoe incident a while ago?'_

She glanced up at him, her gaze inquiring. And she instantly regretted questioning him as she heard him answer,

"You're leaving drool spots on the floor, _Bumpkin_."

For the second time that day, Mizuki was spluttering in shock and the color of her face could instantly rival the hair of Sakuragi. For the first time, he had rendered her speechless.

"Ho,ho,ho!" The portly coach of Shohoku, couldn't help but laugh as he heard what their ace had said. Some of the players who had managed to overhear him also snickered. In Sakuragi's case, he was too busy whining for their team's loss that he failed to see the pair's interaction. Not wanting to be left out, he began pinching their coach's double chin and pulling his flabby stomach while he repeatedly asked him what's so funny.

Rukawa left the blushing girl behind, a small smirk gracing his lips.

 _'Revenge is a dish best served cold.'_

* * *

 **A** **/N:** Sorry for the late upload, I've been quite busy during the holidays and also from reading other fanfics hehe. So, how's your new year? Me, I started 2016 being bitten by my dog. But fret not, me and my dog are still alive and in good terms. I've forgiven him already. =P

panksgoku: Thank you for the review and adding my story in your fave list. Hope you enjoyed reading this story! Until next time!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Rukawa Bug

Something is brewing.

Mizuki could feel it in her bones. She's fully cognizant of the furtive glances her fellow students were giving her, and others are rather blatant about it, pointing at her while whispering something to their companion. It felt like the first day of school all over again. But unlike before, she knew the reason for their obvious prying and constant staring. Not because she's a real head turner like her kohai, Ohara Fumiko, or she's oozing with sex appeal, but for the reason that she is seen in the company of two of the most notorious students of Shohoku.

However, Hana and Mito are not with her at the moment.

After carrying out her morning ritual visit to the hospital, she then took a bus to school since she didn't want to inconvenience her cousin of giving her a ride. As soon as she set her foot on the school grounds, she immediately sensed something was off. When she finally reached her classroom, her worst suspicions were confirmed. Before she could even take her seat, Mizuki was bombarded with questions from three of her classmates with whom she had never spoken to before.

"Is it true? Did you really confess to Rukawa-kun?" One of the three girls asked which was promptly followed by another query from the second girl.

"Did he reject you before you said the three magic words or after?"

"What are the exact words that he used anyway?" The third girl inquired, holding a pen and pad of paper in her hands to take down notes.

"What in the world are you three talking about?" Mizuki demanded of them. She glanced around, noting the absence of the Sakuragi gang and a certain blue eyed boy. "I never made any confession to that sleepyhead."

"Don't deny it, Yohei-chan." Girl no. 2 retorted.

"Yeah, we ourselves were once rejected by him." Girl no. 1 declared before adding, "We know what you are feeling, because we've been through them before. First comes denial, in which you pretend that you're not the least bit affected when he turn you down. Second stage is anger. You get mad towards everyone, thinking that they are out to get you and nothing is working in your favour. You easily get pissed off on pretty much everything. This anger-"

"Ohayou, Yohei-chan!" A booming voice interrupted Girl no. 1's jabbering.

"Chuichirou –kun!" Mizuki greeted him with too much enthusiasm. She'd never thought that a day would come when she'd be overjoyed to see Noma and his ridiculous moustache.

Noma paused mid-stride, a dumbfounded expression on his face. Mizuki wasted no time and dragged the boy out of the room. She needed to get away from those three gossip girls as fast as she could.

As she hurried through the exit, Mizuki collided with someone, who turned out to be Ohkusu.

"Whoa, what's the rush, dude?!"

"Oh! Sorry, Yuji-kun! I didn't notice you."

"Ah, it's you, Yohei-chan… And Noma too." Ohkusu raised one of his eyebrows when he saw her gripping Noma's arm. Mizuki immediately released her hold on him, avoiding the risk of being in the headlines of the rumour mill once again. Heaven forbid that those gossip mongers made any speculations that she and Noma are an item now.

The blonde haired boy noticed her actions, and quickly jumped to another conclusion. "You two were planning on ditching class, right? Well, I'm IN!"

"Eh? Of course not!" Mizuki protested. "I just needed to discuss something with Chuichirou –kun here." '

 _'_ _And to escape those busybodies.'_ She shot a quick look over her shoulder, and found the three girls watching her actions with unabashed interest. She rolled her eyes in exasperation, and stepped out of the room with Noma in tow.

"Hey, if you're planning on giving him any tips for the audition, then I want to hear them too!" Ohkusu carelessly throw his backpack inside the room and followed after them.

Mizuki decided not to counter him. She's positive that those girls heard his remark; at least it will prevent them from making anymore unnecessary assumptions on why she needed to speak with Noma in private. She chose a less crowded spot to hangout, located at the far end of the corridor. Classes will not begin in another ten minutes and she doesn't think she can hold her temper that much with those silly girls hovering around her. Resting her elbows on the balcony railings, her gaze wandered on the school grounds and observed the flow of students below.

Ohkusu was the first one to break the silence. "Hey, is it just me or did you also noticed them staring and pointing at me?"

"In your dreams, Ohkusu. I'm 100 percent sure that it's ME they're looking at." Noma contradicted the blonde guy's statement.

"Oh please, like there's something remotely interesting about you to gain their interest." Ohkusu said, sneering at him.

"Duh? Haven't you heard? Chicks totally dig my mustache." Noma proudly answered while stroking his mustache with his thumb and forefinger.

"Oh yeah? Well, here's a newsflash for you, Noma. Your mustache is so coarse and thick that I can use them as a brush to paint the entire wall of my bedroom."

A large sweatdrop appeared at the back of Mizuki's head as the two continue their bickering.

"Oi, oi! Don't fight without me!" An all too familiar voice echoed along the hallway.

Takamiya was seen running towards the arguing duo, eager to join in the fray. The strong impact from the unexpected collision had them falling face first against the floor, eventually ending the guys verbal squabbles. Takamiya had his legs coiled in a tight headlock on the two guys, while he had his elbows pressed on each of their backs; his massive weight crushing any kind of resistance from the pair.

"Get your stinking, fat ass off me, Takamiya!" A struggling Ohkusu demanded from the portly guy.

"Nah-uh! I'm quite enjoying it here."

"I swear if you dare fart on us, Takamiya, you're gonna regret the day you were born!" Noma said threateningly.

"That thought didn't even occur to me. But thanks for the idea, Noma... Oh well, here it comes!" The bespectacled guy wiggled his plump bottom in an exaggerated manner between the two writhing bodies.

Ohkusu and Noma began thrashing around wildly, desperate to escape Takamiya's deadly fart. But they are like an ant that's been squashed by a stone a thousand times their initial weight. After several failed attempts, exhaustion took over and they unwillingly resigned themselves to their fate.

"If this will be my last breath, please tell my li'l bro that he can have my entire magazine collections, but only when he finally reach the appropriate age." Noma gasped in a dramatic way.

Ohkusu, having been raised in a business oriented family, decided to weasel his way out. "Listen, Takamiya. I promised a weekly supply of onigiris if you'll just let me go. A very generous offer on my part, isn't it?" He proposed amidst the protest of Noma about him not playing fair.

"Nah! I was just messing with you two. I'm not planning on doing anything. But I accept your gracious offer, Ohkusu. I expect the freshly made onigiris on my desk by tomorrow." Takamiya said before releasing his viselike grip on them.

As soon as his hold on them loosened, the two didn't waste time on jumping on Takamiya and exacting their revenge over his evil prank. Satisfied with the beating they gave him, the pair began wiping the dust off their uniform. Noma then faced Mizuki and asked in a curious tone. "Why are we here again?"

Ohkusu snapped his fingers, and answered his query. "Ah! I know! You brought _us_ here to give some advice concerning our audition this afternoon."

"Hold it!" Noma interjected, placing his right palm a few inches away from blondie's face. "This was supposed to be a private conversation between Mizuki and me, and I clearly do not remember you being invited."

"You obviously don't remember because you're too busy stroking your mustache and your over inflated ego."

Sensing another fight brewing, Mizuki quickly intervened and placed herself between the two bickering idiots. "I don't want to disappoint you guys, but I'm no expert in acting, so I can't give you any tips on that."

Ohkusu gave her a look that says that he's not buying her statement, while Noma gaped at her as if to say that he didn't get into a fight with blondie here to end up with nothing.

Mizuki began to squirm under their incredulous stare and racked her brain for any useful advise. "Uhmm…Lemme think for a sec.."

A distant memory flashed into her mind – of her father placing a penny in her shoes that one time she joined a competition. Unfortunately, she didn't win the grand prize, but they didn't need to hear about that. Plus, she couldn't think of any tips with regards to acting so she would have to resort to this superstition. It wouldn't hurt to try anyway.

"Well…my dad said that if you place a penny in your shoe, it will bring you goodluck." She glanced up and waited for any kind of rebuttal from them. The two guys simply nodded their heads in affirmation. Their silence is an indication that they are still anticipating for her to say more.

She had no choice but to continue talking. She just hoped that whatever nonsense she's spouting will help in getting them off her back.

"Try… Try not to get nervous onstage and relax your body…They say that chewing gum eases the tension in your jaw..." She began ticking off on her fingers as she speak. "Eating banana will help too. Do some exercise; laugh as much as you can…" Running out of ideas, she finally said, "…and most of all, think positively...So yeah.. that's about it."

Thankfully, the duo seemed satisfied with her answers. They even suggested that they keep the information among themselves, purposely leaving Sakuragi and Mito out of the loop.

Takamiya, who's still sprawled on the ground, raised his hand and seconded the motion. After a second, he sat up, seemingly recalling that he have something to ask Mizuki - regarding a rumor that's been circulating around school.

He remained seated on the floor as he spoke. "So, Mizuki-chan, rumor has it that you've been rejected by Rukawa..." He paused and glanced up to see three pairs of eyes staring in astonishment at him.

Mizuki was the first one to react; while the two previously arguing duo remained in a state of shock. "What?! When? Where did - "

"According to the rumor mill," Takamiya said, cutting her off, "you, Yohei Mizuki, professed your undying love and all that crap to Mr. Asshole, and said emotionally constipated and stony-hearted smelly fox flat-out rejected you. Broken hearted, you were seen wailing and crying a river for being turned down."

Mizuki gaped at him in response, not knowing whether to laugh or to get annoyed to the most ridiculous and absurd thing she has ever heard.

"That is possibly the craziest thing I've ever heard." Noma remarked; voicing her exact sentiments.

Realization began to sink in for the blonde haired boy. "So, that's the reason for all the staring."

"Wait. From whom did you hear this?" She promptly asked. Somehow, based on the words that Takamiya used to describe the rumor, it would seem that he heard them from-

"Hanamichi. I just relay the exact words and sentences that he used." The portly guy said before adding, "I think he heard them from Haruko-chan, minus the expletives and bad mouthing, of course."

"He knew of this? Oh man, I feel sorry for whoever's responsible for creating that stupid rumor." Ohkusu smirked, appearing not at all sorry or concerned for the unknown person's fate once their red headed friend finally discovered his/ her identity.

"Yeah, I mean, hello?! Mizuki - in love with the kitsune? Pfft! Fat chance! They should make a more convincing story!" Noma said, dismissing the story with a wave of his hand.

Mizuki fell silent, pondering about their opinion on this unsubstantiated information. They believed without a doubt that there is no way she will ever fall for him. But how come she has a hard time believing on their assessment. She managed to hide the conflicting emotions on her face as Takamiya turned to ask her, "So, Mizuki-chan, let's get to the bottom of this. Are you or are you not suffering from Momiji virus?"

"Huh?" was her intelligent reply. "Is there such a thing as Momiji virus?" She inquired, confusion evident on her face. She knew that the other word for maple is momiji but she's unaware that it can cause sickness.

 _'_ _What is this guy up to?'_

Quick as a flash, Takamiya appeared standing and donning a long white coat over his school uniform. Adjusting his glasses, he began the explanation.

"The Momiji virus is a disturbing epidemic that's sweeping the whole of Kanagawa region, and its origin was traced in Shohoku high. This virus mostly targeted young women, although a few not so straight guys may also fall victim by this widespread occurrence. Recent statistics show that the number of affected high school students has increased significantly."

"How alarming." Noma piped up.

"Initial symptoms are the sudden onset of light-headedness, shortness of breath and rapid beating of the heart. This is often followed by an intense eye condition where they appeared all googly and dazed. And if it's not immediately treated, this disease will affect the functioning of a person's brain and will end up in a psycho ward, drooling and shrieking for the object of their obsession."

Understanding finally dawned on her face. Mizuki rolled her eyes at Takamiya's ridiculous attempt of comparing the female students' infatuation with Rukawa to some kind of deadly virus.

"Geez, where do you get those silly ide-"

Their conversation was disrupted by a commotion that appears to be coming from the school ground. The four of them leaned on the railing and look down to find out what the ruckus is all about.

The weird feeling in her stomach resurface again as she spotted a familiar mop of messy black hair, but the fluttering in her tummy was instantly replaced by trepidation as she took notice of the current situation. Apparently, that idiot had fallen asleep (again!) while cycling and crashed into the unsuspecting concrete wall.

She recently discovered that Rukawa not only had the tendency to doze during school hours but also tends to sleep while he's walking or riding his bicycle.

' _Is he unaware of the danger he subjected himself to?'_ She mused. Not that she care about his welfare. She's more concern to the fact that somebody could get hurt by his irresponsible and aggravating sleeping habit.

The three guys standing beside her laughed out loud as they watched the scene from below them. Mizuki shook her head and cluck her tongue in an attempt to show her disapproval at Rukawa's carelessness, and try to suppress the worry gnawing in her gut.

Is there a possibility she's also suffering from the dreaded momiji virus?

Honestly, she was afraid to know the answer.

xxxxx

By lunchtime, things went downhill.

Their redheaded friend; famous for his volatile temper and impertinent attitude, made a scene by getting into a fight with Rukawa - not that it's an unusual spectacle, but what made their scuffle different this time was because they are fighting over a girl. And it certainly isn't Haruko-chan.

Fists were thrown, followed by a sweeping kick toward Rukawa's legs. Infuriated that his sleep was disrupted by that dou ahou, the black haired boy began to retaliate. After a series of blows and punches, the Sakuragi army was finally able to separate the two, but the redhead continue to spout insults to Rukawa. The latter chose to ignore him and began walking towards his sanctuary- the rooftop. He could hear the dou ahou threatening him to stay away from Mizuki.

' _Tsk. Like he would ever want to get near rooftop girl.'_ He slipped his hands into the pocket of his pants, resisting the urge to throw another punch into Sakuragi's face.

Mizuki massaged her temples in an effort to stop the throbbing pain in her head. She was not around when Hanamichi initiated that fight with Rukawa. By now, the rumors had escalated to deranged proportion. The entire student body now assumed that she and her buddy, Sakuragi, had a secret affair. And they all think it was some sort of love triangle. They later dragged poor Haruko in the rumor mill, which ended in a case of love quadrangle.

But her misfortune didn't end there.

She and Satoshi decided to head towards the library to work on their article during free period. Carrying stacks of paper and folders in both hands, they proceeded to walk out of the classroom. But Satoshi - beating her in the clumsiness category by a small percentage, decided to demonstrate his obvious lack of foot coordination. He tripped over his own feet, dragging an unsuspecting Mizuki with him, who in turn clung to the nearest support available, which turned out to be – who else? Rukawa. Caught off guard, and feeling drowsy as usual, Rukawa lost his balance and joined the clumsy pair in the ground.

Mizuki groaned in frustration, mumbling something under her breath about her being jinxed today. Still unaware of the identity of the person she accidentally landed, she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, giving a swirly eyed Satoshi behind her an evil glare before turning her attention to the person she realized she's currently sitting.

She let out a loud "eepp" before moving away from him as fast as she could, afraid that she will get infected with the Rukawa virus.

Rukawa glowered at her reaction _. 'What's with her?Acting like I got a disease or something.'_ He pulled himself up into a sitting position and his frown vanished instantly when he noticed that her face could rival that dou ahou's blazing red hair. He heard her muttering an apology. He was contemplating whether to pretend that he didn't hear her apology so he could demand it from her when his eyes noticed something on the floor. The girl, observing that he is somewhat distracted, followed his line of sight.

And a look of pure horror crossed her face.

Piles of papers scattered across the floor. But that's not what caught Rukawa's attention and the reason for the panic look on Mizuki's face.

Because littered on the floor were dozens of Rukawa's photos – of him sleeping, his eyes shut closed as he walk in the corridor, of him doing a layup shot, dribbling a ball. And he felt his ears burning when he saw a picture of him shirtless with a towel hanging around his neck.

 _'_ _What in the -'_

"That… I…. It's not what it looks like!" Mizuki exclaimed with a panic stricken voice. She then quickly began picking the pictures on the floor before any of their female classmates began salivating over the shirtless snapshot of him.

"I can explain!" She stated, her eyes pleading with them to listen to her. "These photos were taken by Satoshi-kun..you know...to be use for the upcoming article.." She glanced around; searching for Satoshi to back up her statement but the coward was seen sneaking his way outside the room. _'I'm going to kill that idiot!'_ She fumed, thinking of the most vicious torture he will endure once she got her hands on him.

Her attention shifted to the students gathered around her. She visibly gulped as she noticed the burning eyes her female classmates were giving her. Or rather, the greedy look on their faces as their gaze focused to the photos she's clutching

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the three stooges laughing their asses off at her expense, clearly enjoying the spectacle before them.

Wanting to get back at them for leaving her in this embarrassing and awkward situation, she threw the photos in their direction, and watched as a horde of overzealous and momiji infected fans began jumping and hurling their bodies towards the shocked trio in a race to grabbed the photos of their idol.

Soon after, she realized that her attempted vengeance upon them was futile, based on the goofy grin and dazed looks the three idiots were wearing. Apparently, they enjoyed being mauled by Rukawa's fans.

xxxxx

A sigh of relief passed on Mizuki's lips as soon as she heard the loud ringing of the school bell. Finally, class is over. She was rather proud of herself for maintaining a calm demeanor amidst all the rumor circulating around. She even manage to restrain herself from strangling Satoshi for the tripping incident a while ago.

Why did he have to drag her behind? And why did she have to lose her balance and fall down on Rukawa out of all people?

 _'And s_ _peaking of that iceblock'_

Mizuki's eyes automatically sought the person who's the cause of all her misfortune and downfall. There he was, lounging lazily on his seat while rubbing his sleep-worn eyes. Apparently, the shrill sound of the bell had awakened him from his usual afternoon nap. She could tell that he's irritated that his sleep was disrupted.

 _'_ _Geez, would it hurt him to try to be nicer for once? And does he even know how to smile? Why so serious?'_

 _'_ _But if he's a bit nicer and smiles often, then there's no reason for you not to fall for him, right?'_ Her subconscious replied.

 _'_ _Uh-what?'_

As if sensing she was watching him, Rukawa glanced up at her, raising his eyebrows in silent query.

Mizuki huffed, annoyed with herself for being caught staring at him, and angry at him for behaving as if he didn't have a care in the world. She gave him her most menacing glare as she marched towards his desk. She was not oblivious to the pointed stares she's receiving from her classmates, but she chose to simply ignore them.

 _'_ _Let them think what they want.'_ She thought.

"Did you sleep well, Rukawa-kun?" Mizuki asked, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in her tone. She was done being polite, as her nice approach to let him agree on doing the interview didn't seem to work. And she's still upset with his drooling remark from yesterday during basketball practice. He just left her standing on the sidelines, as his teammates, even his coach, laugh at her. He didn't even give her a chance to provide a snappy answer before he disappeared towards the locker room. He's gone running out of the gym with his tail between his le-

"Go annoy someone else," In the stunned silence of the classroom, Rukawa's voice rang out loud and clear.

Mizuki gasped in an exaggerated manner and placed one palm on her chest. "Did..did you just speak?!" She said mockingly.

Rukawa ignored her jibe and stared at her coolly while resting his fist on his chin. Despite his remark for her to go away, he knew that she will exactly do the opposite. He remained seated and waited for her to start blabbing.

Once again, Mizuki felt her stomach churning in nervousness and she had to look away to control her emotions. From the corner of the room, she saw Takamiya, Ohkusu and Noma watching the scene with amused interest. Remembering their conversation this morning about the so-called momiji virus, she silently hoped that they are not making stupid assumptions about her contracting the Rukawa bug that's plaguing most of the female students. Wanting to prove them wrong, she returned his stare and fought back her blush. She placed her bag unceremoniously on his desk and shuffled through the contents, pulling out a piece of paper and shoving it in his face.

Rukawa scrunched up his eyes in deep concentration as he peered over the paper. His gaze flickered back to her and she could swear that he looked mildly amused. She didn't have the chance to ponder over it as she heard him muttered, "A love letter?"

A collective gasp escaped from their unwanted audience. One of the nosy girls from earlier even made a remark about her being a masochist.

Mizuki examined the paper in her hand, thinking that she had given him the wrong paper. Her brain seems to be malfunctioning when she belatedly realized that she had never written any love letters in her entire life. And she certainly has no intention of giving him one. Not now. Not ever.

"What the heck? Don't you know how to read?" Scowling at him, she shoved the paper under his nose again.

With one fist still resting on his chin and his other hand atop his desk, Rukawa's eyes made a quick scan on the note, and decided to read a part of the text to her; as a proof that he's not an ignoramus like that redheaded dou ahou friend of hers.

"What are the qualities-" He started saying, watching her reaction from beneath a fringe of dark bangs "-you are searching for in a woman?"

Once again, shocked gasps and murmurs were heard inside the room.

"Isn't that too forward?" Nosy girl no. 2 remarked in a disapproving manner in which Takamiya quickly countered, "Says the girl who once declared into the whole class her plan to marry Rukawa after highschool."

The two taller guys besides him let out a snigger.

A red faced Mizuki slammed the paper on Rukawa's desk, creating a loud thud. "This is **not** a love letter!" She said in a clear voice, so the whole class can hear. "These are the questionnaires provided by **your** fans and I'm giving this to you so that you can review them and prepare the answers beforehand."

Narrowing her eyes, she leaned towards him slightly and speaks in a low tone. "Look pal, I've endured a ton of humiliation and mockery from you and the rest of the class since yesterday. Now the least you can do is read the questionnaires and do the freaking interview and that's it. I won't bother the hell out of you anymore."

Rukawa stared at her with ice cold eyes. Somehow, that last statement of hers unsettles him. And it confused him why he's feeling perturbed by the thought of her not bothering her anymore after she's done doing it with him…..

Now, that doesn't sound right.

 _'_ _Done doing the interview.'_ He mentally corrected himself. He looked down to the piece of paper on his desk, a frown marring his handsome face. Maybe he should just get this over with. It's what he wanted after all; get rid of this troublesome and bossy girl.

But what does she mean when she says she's not going to bother him anymore? Is she going to treat him like he doesn't exist or simply not talk to him _?_ Not that he care. And he's definitely not eager to have a conversation with a certain short haired girl who has a penchant for singing in the rooftop and hanging out with wackos.

 _'_ _Tsk, so annoying.'_ Feeling extremely pissed off with his thoughts, he crumpled the paper into a ball and throws it in the trashcan on the other side of the room. Cheers erupted from his fangirls, who were overly pleased with the demonstration of his basketball skills.

Rukawa glanced up, half expecting her to throw a tantrum or yelled at her for being a jerk. For a moment, he thought that she's going to punch him into oblivion when he noticed that her hands were balled up tightly into a fist. He readied himself for any violent reaction from her part but was confused when she unclenched her fists, gave out a tired sigh, and began walking away towards the door.

He remained sitting with his brow furrowed and his blue eyes perplexed.

Now wait just a doggone minute. Nobody walks away from Kaede Rukawa. She's the one who should be watching him as he walked away, not the other way around.

"Oi!" Rukawa heard himself say; not knowing what compelled him to suddenly call after her.

Mizuki stopped walking but refused to look at him. "What now?!" She demanded with her back still turned.

"…" No answer was given.

She huffed and warily turned to look back at him. She found him standing behind his desk, suddenly appearing more intimidating because of his tall stature. Angered by his apathetic attitude, she asked again in an icy voice. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

One corner of his mouth curved upward slightly as if her remark amused him.

 _'_ _Did he just smirk?'_ She blinked and the smirk was gone. But she was positive she had seen it.

Mizuki was still distracted by the smirk and barely registered that he was pointing to the bag on his desk. She saw him picked up the bag by its strap and waved it in her direction.

Her face reddened with embarrassment again as she realized that she forgot her bag on his table. She was about to approach him but stopped as she heard him say, "Catch." He then threw her bag towards her.

Luckily for her, she managed to catch her bag without turning into a complete klutz. She glanced back at him only to see him already leaving the classroom. _'What was that all about?'_ Mizuki thought, and discovered that this was the first time he ever made any sort of conversation with her, and it had left her mind in a state of emotional overload.

"Awww. Don't they make the cutest couple?" She heard Takamiya cooed in a sweet tone.

Not in the mood to deal with their teasing, she hastily left the room.

* * *

Operation Tame the Fox Update:

First objective: Eliminate the obstacle

– Checked.

Second objective: Persuade the subject

– 1st attempt – Failed

– 2nd attempt – Failed


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Open Wounds

 _Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways._

 _\- Sigmund Freud_

Mizuki hummed a tune to herself as she gingerly watered the plants on their school garden. Her bad mood from earlier had seemingly dissipated as she fondly complimented one plant. Apparently, the lush green surroundings had made her feel more relaxed and helped her clear her mind of things. She closed her eyes and the scent of dark rich soil and fresh flowers took her back to her hometown, to her dad's garden. She envisioned her dad crouched on the ground, wearing that green loose jumper of his that she absolutely hated, a wide brim hat, matching gloves and boots, whistling merrily as he planted the seedlings with the greatest care. She remembered when she was a kid, she would check their garden every morning for any sign of progress, and if all she see was the same brown mound of dirt, she would then whine to her father and badgered him on reducing the waiting time for the plants to grow. Her father would just smile and would proceed on explaining that gardening requires a lot of patience and great deal of effort.

 _'_ _Patience and effort, huh?'_

As she considered her father's words, her thoughts then began to wander to a certain blue eyed boy who has a knack of falling asleep almost anywhere and of easily getting into her nerves. It was almost as if he was deliberately testing her patience. It was a good thing that she decided to visit the garden - for it allowed her to sooth her nerves and calm her senses after the somewhat disastrous if not awkward encounter with Rukawa not more than ten minutes ago.

A small smile crept into her lips as she purposely compares him to a plant - _'Or perhaps a flower?'_ -that needs patient labor and undivided attention. Well, his hordes of fan girls can easily give him the latter. Or maybe they can provide him with both. But she was positive that he will surely drown from their excessive doting.

An image of a sunflower with the bored face of Rukawa on its center suddenly came into her mind. She let out a giggle as she visualized him with yellow petals adorning his face as his fan girls fought in the background on who's going to pluck the lovely and exquisite sunflower.

However, her moment of tranquility didn't last long as a female voice disrupted her train of thought. "You're looking awfully chipper for someone who just got her heart supposedly broken by Rukawa-senpai."

Mizuki turned around to find first year student, Ohara Fumiko standing just a couple of meters away. She blinked, not quite registering the younger girl's statement in her mind for a moment. She gave her a sheepish grin as realization finally sinks in. "Oh, that." She replied as she lowered the watering can in her hands. "It's just a silly rumor."

"Really? Are you saying that the story about you collecting indecent pictures of him a rumor too? 'Coz I have sufficient witnesses to prove it otherwise." Ohara said airily, twirling her curls with her fingers.

"Witnesses?" She asked, not liking the tone in her underclassman's voice.

"Wow!Am I on trial or something? Because I need to contact my lawyer first before I can answer any of your questions." Mizuki responded in a mocking manner. She watched as the girl's pretty face contorted into a scowl before crossing her arms and sticking her nose up in the air.

Is she the same cute and sweet Ohara Fumiko everyone is talking about? Because right now, Mizuki thought she looked neither.

"Did you also contact your lawyer when you screwed up and got your own dad stuck in a hospital bed?"

Mizuki's face paled at her words, the watering can slipping from her fingers and falling with a dull thud on the ground.

"W-what did you say?"

The tremor in her voice didn't go unnoticed by the other girl. But before Ohara could retract her statement, Mizuki reached over and gripped her arms tightly.

"What did you say about my dad?" She asked again, and shakes the freshman's shoulders violently. By now, Ohara's eyes were wide as saucers and had a frightened look in them. She didn't expect something like this is going to happen. Her initial plan was to simply make fun of her senpai's unfortunate encounter with Rukawa. Maybe taunt her a little bit. The truth was she was feeling jealous of her upperclassman because it seems that Rukawa was paying more attention to the short haired girl. When she went to watch Rukawa during basketball practice last time, she had accidentally witnessed the pair's interaction, and she didn't exactly liked what she had observed. She couldn't help but compare his behaviour towards her when she personally informed him about the school play days before at the rooftop. He was so rude to her, but with Mizuki, he was being incredibly patient, even listening to her nonsense speech about the school paper. And what was the meaning of that look aimed towards that plain, tomboyish girl? It was somehow a mixture of curiosity and… fascination?

"I – you're hurting me, senpai." Ohara weakly replied, trying to free herself from the viselike grip of Mizuki on her forearms. But the girl didn't seem to hear her and Ohara noticed that Mizuki's eyes were unfocused, mirroring the fear stricken and panic look on her own face, but for entirely different reasons.

"It was an accident."

Mizuki uttered those words in a low tone, and if not for their close proximity, Ohara wouldn't probably hear them. Not that she's interested on whatever the older girl is saying, because right now, all she wanted to do was to get away from this weird girl.

"It was an accident." Mizuki repeated those words again, as if convincing herself. "I swear it was an accident." Tears began to gather in her brown eyes.

Just then, Ohara heard noises from the other side of the fence. Fearing for her safety and thinking that her upperclassman has gone crazy, she let out a scream calling for help.

Ohara's loud scream woke Mizuki from her stupor. She immediately released her hold on her kohai, which gave the freshman an opportunity to push her away. The sudden push made her slightly lost her balance. Taking a deep breath, Mizuki forced herself to calm down and urged her mind to focus. The younger girl's unexpected statement about her dad brought up a ton of unpleasant memories for her. Before she can further probe Ohara on her awareness regarding her dad's accident, several footsteps were heard approaching their direction.

xxxxx

A trio of boys wearing baseball uniform stopped walking as they heard someone cried for help. They looked tensely at one another, each one awaiting the other's response. The oldest of the three - a third year student with a long narrow face and pointed chin, initiated the first step; not because he wanted to, but for the reason that he didn't want to be called out for being a yellow belly. The remaining two boys simply shrugged and followed after their upperclassman.

Gripping the bats firmly in their hands, they hastily run to the source of the noise; only to find two girls standing a few feet away from each other.

Lowering the bats on their hands, they let out a sigh of relief when they discovered the situation was not as serious as they thought. It was just a couple of girls, who were probably fighting about – who the hell cares?

The senior student then propped the bat on his shoulder, and gave a snort of laughter. "Girls, girls." He drawled, "Please, there's no need to fight."

His sidekicks sniggered at their senpai's remark, but abruptly stopped when they recognized the curly haired girl in front of them. The short haired girl looks familiar for some reason but they can't pinpoint where they had seen her before. How could they when their attention was mostly focus on the smaller girl, who's currently looking at them with her big, emerald green eyes.

"O-Ohara- chan!" The boys cried out her name in unison.

Not the least bit surprised that they know her name, Ohara Fumiko - famous for her acting skills – proved once and for all that she is indeed the reigning queen of the drama club. Chin trembling and lower lips pouting, Ohara's face crumpled and she started to cry, which promptly drew concern from the group of boys surrounding them.

The three guys started walking tentatively towards her. But when she buried her face in her hands and sobbed lightly, all their hesitation flew out the window and they began to step closer to properly comfort her.

"What happened, Ohara-chan?" Inquired the boy whose hairstyle looks like someone had placed a pot on his head an inch away from his ears, and then trimmed or cut off all the visible hair.

"Please don't cry." Pleaded the youngest of the three athletes, the crease of worry evident in his boyish face.

Secretly pleased with the attention, Ohara lifted her head for them to see her tear streaked face, before shaking them and covering her face once again with her palms. The boys began to panic, and hovered around her, trying their best to stop her from crying.

Mizuki watched the scene unfolding before her in disbelief. After a second, she shook her head to come out of the shock she was in. She gotta hand it to Ohara - her performance was flawless. Those eyes that were brimming with tears combined with the quivering of her chin were surely worthy of an Oscar. She knew she was partly at fault here; scaring the younger girl out of her wits by suddenly grabbing her shoulders and demanding that she believe her statement that what happened with her dad was an accident. But still, Ohara had it coming. How dare she interrupt her moment of peace and quiet by callously declaring that she was the reason why her dad was currently fighting for his life in the hospital. She didn't need to hear that. She's still on the process of freeing herself from the guilt and of preventing herself from sinking deeper in her pit of despair.

The memory of that unfortunate day still haunts her.

That day was supposed to be special. She was supposed to be enjoying her 17th birthday with her dad and her friends. There should be cake and blowing of candles surrounded by colorful balloons as her friends sing and greeted her. Instead, she ruined what was supposed to be a joyous celebration by acting like a spoiled child, pleading with her father to please let her drive their truck for today's delivery to the market - stating that it was one of her birthday wishes. She argued that the trip to the market will not take more than 15 minutes, that she will be very careful and even declared that there are not that many cars driving this early. Or so she thinks. But in the end, her puppy-dog eyes did the trick. She squealed, jumping up and down merrily, before giving her dad a hug, declaring to him that it's going to be her best birthday ever.

 _"_ _One should not praise the day before the evening"_ was her dad's cryptic response. Before she can ask him the meaning of those words, her dad dropped the key to her hands and then ruffled her hair while saying,

 _"_ _Happy Birthday, Apple Cheeks."_

One minute she was happily driving along the deserted road, the next minute there's blood everywhere.

She later found out that a drunk driver hit their truck head on; the force of the impact launched her and her dad forward, hitting the windshield. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was the lifeless face of her dad.

xxxxx

Mizuki clenched her fists tightly, trying to erase the dreadful image in her mind. She brushed her fingers on her forehead, expecting to feel the trickling of blood, and relief flooded her senses when her fingertips only managed to trace the rough texture of her scar.

She raised her head and found the three boys still fussing over the crying freshman. Exhausted from the day's unexpected turn of events, Mizuki wished nothing more than to get home to lie down on her bed. But she recalled that she had an audition to watch and she was sure that the gang's hilarious antics will totally distract her from her gloomy thoughts.

She started to leave but suddenly found her way blocked by one of the baseball-bat wielding player.

"And where do you think you're going?" Asked the oldest of the three boys; standing in an arrogant stance while tapping the head of the bat into his palm.

Mizuki ignored him and she took a step to the side in order to pass him but he blocked her way again. She resisted the urge to give a snappy retort; instead opting to give the pompous senior a hard glare as a silent demand for him to get out of her way.

Rather than yielding to her muted request, the boy seems intent on not leaving her alone.

"I believe you owe Ohara-chan an apology." She heard him say.

Mizuki threw an incredulous look at the gangly boy in front of her. She then glanced back towards Ohara and the two boys standing protectively besides her acting as if they were her personal bodyguards. She noticed that Ohara was no longer crying and was watching them both, a wary expression on her face.

With an inward snort of annoyance, her eyes shifted to the boy standing ahead of her. Crossing her arms, she looked him straight in the eye. "For what, pray tell, should I apologize?"

Her inquiry and manner of speaking wiped the smug look on the third year student's face. Uncertainty flitted across his narrow face. Truthfully, he wasn't expecting that kind of attitude from her; he thought that since she's outnumbered and surrounded by three guys holding baseball bats, her attitude would be somehow more compliant and subdued. Heck, she should be feeling nervous right now. Behind her, he saw Ohara and his teammates observing their interactions. He better gets the situation under control and shows this slip of a girl who's the real boss here. Plus, it's an opportunity to make a really big impression on school cutie Ohara-chan. He could score some brownie points by being her knight in shining armor – or rather, her knight in white spandex pants.

"Are you blind or plain stupid? Can't you see that she's crying?" He lashed out. He hoped that his facial features were fierce enough to scare the wits out of her.

Apparently, it was not enough as the girl seems not the least bit frightened by his outburst. Instead, he saw her rolled her eyes at him.

She shot a glance back over her shoulder at Ohara, before returning her gaze at him. "She's not crying now." She stated matter-of-factly.

Ohara - remembering she had a role to play, buried her face into her hands and whimpered lightly.

The boy's face bristled with anger when he saw the curly haired girl crying again. "Apologize. Now." He uttered in what he hope was a deep, menacing growl.

"I don't owe her anything." Mizuki said firmly. She didn't bother explaining to them what really happened. After all, they already come to the conclusion that she was the one who was at fault here. _'Boys are so easy to deceive.'_ She thought.

Feeling the need to escape, she took a step forward, and when the gangly boy moves to block her again, she forcefully shoved him out of her path. Not expecting her action, the boy lost his balance and fell flat on his butt. He heard his team member's gasps of surprise. Blinded by rage and utterly humiliated, he quickly sprang back up to his feet, lunged after the short haired girl and tackled her to the ground.

With her back turned to him, Mizuki was caught off guard, knocking the breath from her lips as she saw the ground rushing up to meet her. She closed her eyes and bit back a cry of pain as her face slammed on the rough terrain.

For a moment, everyone remained motionless, still not fully comprehending what had just taken place.

"Get off me!" Mizuki's indignant yell was muffled by the ground where the boy had her pinned down.

Coming back to his senses, the senior student immediately scrambled away on his hands and knees, keeping a large gap between him and the fiery girl who's currently face planted on the ground. A feeling of dread and shame washed over him. He watched nervously as the girl slowly turned and pulled herself up into a sitting position and then gently wiped the dirt from her face. The boy's face grew even paler from what he saw.

Red streak of blood dripped down her forehead.

Mizuki didn't know who screamed first. Ohara or the boy with the pointed chin. Or maybe it was her own voice she heard screaming. She never really got to know the answer as her body went limp and her mind slipped into unconsciousness.

"Oh my god! You killed her, senpai!" The boy with the bowl haircut blurted out, his eyes wide with fear. His remark made the senior student tremble in fright. "I – I didn't mean to hurt her. I swear-"

"She just passed out." The third boy stated, interrupting his senpai's stammering. He knelt beside Mizuki's prostrate body, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest.

Relief filled the guy who heedlessly charged on Mizuki. He never meant any of this to happen, he simply wanted to impress Ohara. But sadly, his plan had backfired. Instead of being awed by his gallantry, Ohara stood there looking absolutely shocked by what had transpired.

"We-we better get her to the clinic." He squeaked out as he struggled to stand up on shaky legs.

But before they could lift her from the ground, bowl cut boy shrieked in hysteria as recognition finally dawned on him. "Oh shit!shit!"

"W-what?What is it?" The senior student asked, a cold sense of dread threatened to overwhelm him.

"It's her! It's her! Oh man, we are so dead!" Bowl cut boy yelled in panic, grabbing a fistful of his hair tightly, his face twisted in obvious terror. He paced restlessly back and forth, muttering under his breath that he's too young to die.

"Quit pacing, will you?" The eldest of the three demanded, leaving out the fact that his pacing around was making him more agitated. "Come on; h-help me take her to the clinic." He added in a shaky tone. He and the other boy began hoisting Mizuki on their shoulders.

"B-but, what if S-Sakuragi found out what h-happened?" Bowl cut boy choked out. He finally stopped his pacing and his anxious gaze was directed to the unconscious girl they were carrying.

The sudden mention of the redhead's name had them frozen to their spot. Even though the weather was chilly, tiny beads of sweat trickled down their forehead. The senior student' sense of foreboding grew even stronger. A gnawing feeling on his gut warned him to just ignore his underclassman's question involving the infamous redhead. He had heard a lot of stories about him and when he had accidentally witnessed one of Sakuragi's berserk moments, he vowed to keep his distance away from him. And now it seems that he had somehow lured the delinquent's unwanted attention to them. All because of this girl.

"Crap." The other boy who's holding the limp body of Mizuki muttered as he finally put two and two together. No wonder her face looks familiar. Bowl cut boy's abrupt utterance of Sakuragi's name made him recognized the girl who's currently hoisted on his shoulders. He definitely remembered now where he had seen her before. She was the latest addition in the Sakuragi Gundan and the current topic of the rumor mill.

"Yohei Mizuki."

The youngest boy in the group and a freshman student like Ohara, uttered her name in a whisper, afraid that she will suddenly wake up and run directly to tell her redheaded friend what had occurred. And that's not the worst that could happen, after all, her cousin is also a well-known thug in their school.

The first year student quickly turned to look at his senpai for advice on how they're going to escape the wrath of the two delinquents, but before he could voice out his worry, he saw his senpai's eyes rolled back in his head and then he too passed out, eventually dragging the three of them to the ground.

xxxxx

Mizuki's eyes fluttered open, slowly gaining consciousness, and find herself staring at the white ceiling of the room. Feeling a bit disoriented, she closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down. The last time she woke up in an unfamiliar place was after the cataclysmic car accident, and the aftermath of that unfortunate event was not something she wanted to remember.

Hands trembling, she cautiously put the tip of her index finger on her forehead and let out a strangled cry when her finger touched the thick pad of gauze. "N-no! Not again. Oh please." She choked out.

"What is the matter, my dear?"

Fighting the tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks, Mizuki turned her head to look at the owner of the voice. She released the breath she'd been holding when she finally become aware of her present situation. Right now, she was in the clinic and standing at the foot of her bed was the school doctor.

Recollection of the earlier events suddenly filled her mind. She remembered being tackled by that spandex wearing douchebag and her face crashing to the ground. After that, everything went blurry. She mentally berated herself for showing weakness by passing out at the mere sight of blood, and worst, other people had witnessed her meltdown.

Mizuki was too busy castigating herself that she didn't notice the doctor moving closer to her. "Is everything alright? Does anything hurt?" The doctor's concerned voice once again broke her thoughts.

The short haired girl slowly eased herself in a sitting position and shook her head to say no. "Thank you for taking care of me." She muttered and bowed her head slightly to show her gratitude.

The middle-aged woman with silver-streaked hair pulled neatly in a tight bun gave her a smile and went to check on her wound dressings. "You're welcome. It's my job after all."

"Don't worry; the wound wasn't that deep so it wouldn't leave much of a scar." The amiable woman added, giving her a reassuring pat on her shoulder before turning her eyes to the student lying down next to Mizuki's bed.

"Your friends are quite worried about the two of you."

"Eh?" Mizuki asked, quite confused by her remark. She followed the doctor's gaze and almost fell on her bed when she recognized the guy sleeping on the other side. It's none other than the arrogant jerk who foolishly pushed her to the ground, hence the reason why she's brought to the clinic.

But what is he doing here?

"What happened to him?" She inquired, baffled by the guy's unconscious state. She got off the bed and approached him to have a closer look, fearful of what she would find. For a second, she thought that Sakuragi and Mito finally learned what had transpired earlier at the school garden, and seeks revenge on the guy. She examined him and noticed that there are no bandages or any bruises on his face.

"Well, based on the statement of the two boys who brought both of you here, it would seem that he passed out when he saw you bleeding." The lady doctor told her.

"I see," was Mizuki's reply, choosing to remain mum about the incident.

As she was about to ask permission from the school doctor to leave as she was feeling better already, the door to the clinic abruptly opened, and her eyes widened in utter horror on who she saw standing in the doorway.

It was her cousin Mito.

And no, she wasn't horrified by his sudden appearance. What shocked and troubled her most was that her cousin's face was swollen and disfigured. His eyes were scarcely visible and almost slanted because the bags below them were too puffy and bloated. The last time she had seen him like this was when they were still in first grade.

Mito, on the other hand, was also not expecting to see her cousin. He knew he looked like an idiot standing there with his mouth gaping open like a fish. Or more like an exact imitation of a pufferfish. Thoughts about fleeing the room to escape the nagging that was sure to follow filled his mind. As he was about to bail out from the scene, he caught a glimpse of the bandage on her forehead. The white plaster on her forehead caught his curiosity followed by severe trepidation.

"What happened to you?" Mito's voice was laced with concern as he swiftly walked over to her, his eyes focused on the thick gauze on her forehead.

Mizuki tugged at her bangs in a futile attempt to cover the bandage. She took a discreet glance at the still unconscious student on the bed, contemplating whether or not she should tell him. She realized that even though his eyes were almost covered by the swelling, nothing could escape his notice as she heard him asked, "Who's the guy?"

Before she can think of a way to evade his question, the doctor interrupted them. "Perhaps you would like me to take a look on you first before you proceed with the interrogation of my patient."

Mito turned to the direction of the voice, finally becoming aware of the doctor's presence. He brought a hand at the back of his neck and let out a sheepish laugh.

"Ah, yes! Please do, Kondo-san. "

After a series of inquiries regarding Mito's allergy – from his medical history and what triggers the allergic reaction, the doctor gave him medication to help relieve the symptoms and chastised him for not taking his health seriously.

Mizuki nodded her head in agreement with regards to the doctor's statement, resisting the urge to pummel her cousin for doing something so irresponsible. He knew he was allergic to peanuts, so what made him eat one? If it was some stupid bet between him and the other guys, she'd make sure that they will suffer from her wrath.

"Couldn't resist the temptation of chocolates?" The doctor asked him in a mildly teasing tone as she scribbled her prescription.

"Yeah. Homemade chocolate muffins." Mito answered without thinking.

Mizuki raised her eyebrows in surprise from her cousin's unexpected response. She watched him closely to see if he realized the slip, boring holes on the side of his head to get him to look at her. Frustrated that he refused to acknowledge her presence, she huffed in annoyance and promised herself that she will get all the answers from him later.

xxxxx

As soon as they step foot outside the clinic, Mizuki wasted no time in bombarding Mito with her queries.

"What the hell, Mito?! Do you have some kind of a death wish?What were you thinking? Or were you even thinking at all? Muffins?! Seriously?! You risked your life because of a freaking muffin?!"

"Geez, Mizu. Stop with the nagging, will ya?" The raven haired boy replied with one index finger pointing to his swollen face. "Have pity on me and my bloated but still handsome face."

"Then stop evading and answer the damn questions!" Shrieked a high pitched voice which prompts Mito to cover his ears. Luckily, class has ended hours ago which made the corridor empty, thus preventing any bystanders to witness his cousin's bout of hysteria.

"Quit shouting. I ain't deaf, you know." He complained while picking his ears.

"Yeah, but you sure are stupid." Mizuki said harshly as she crossed her arms across her chest. "You know certainly well that you are allergic to peanuts. Have you forgotten what happened the last time you consumed that packet of peanuts just because of your stubbornness?"

Mito merely shrugged and buried his hands on the pockets of his pants. "I spent an entire week in the hospital. Totally saved me from the torture of school."

His laidback response received a menacing glare from the short haired girl. Mito removed his hands from his pockets and held out his palms in a placating manner. "I'm just kidding. Geez, can't even handle a joke now?" He shook his head at his cousin's serious attitude and started walking in the other direction. But his path was immediately blocked by the overly persistent girl and Mito mentally cursed himself. He should have just gone home directly instead of dropping by to the clinic. That will surely save him from a lot of trouble. He knew from experience that Mizuki will not stop until she gets her answers and how much of a worrywart his cousin is. And she became even more agitated and more concerned towards his well-being after the accident. It's bad enough that his mom was always nagging him about his juvenile behavior and now, he had Mizuki double teaming with his own mother on an endless rant of lectures.

"I would punch you, if your face wasn't so bloated right now." Mito inwardly rolled his eyes upon hearing her threat. _'Sheesh! She's even worse than my mom! At least mom doesn't resort to any physical violence. Oh wait, she did whack me in the head last time I forgot to put water in the rice cooker when she asked me to prepare them for dinner.'_

Because of that incident, his mom never gave him the task of cooking rice, but she never missed an opportunity to remind him of that mistake.

Pushing the thoughts aside, he returned his focus to the fuming girl in front of him. He let out an audible gulp when he realized how angry she looks. He better do something fast before her anger escalates further to extreme proportion. Being diplomatic and calm was the first step.

Mito raised his hand and pats her head lightly which made her scowl even more. "Relax. Take a chill pill. Nothing serious happened, alright? I already took my meds and everything is A-OK."

"Who gave you the muffins?" Mizuki suddenly asked.

Mito gave a defeated sigh and run a hand on his now gel free hair. "I'm not going to answer that."

Placing both hands on her hips, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Why the hell not?"

"Because! I don't want you going berserk on the poor gal. And stop swearing, it doesn't suit you."

The girl bristled at his remark. "Oh yeah? But me beating the crap out of that person totally suits my personality?"

Mito simply ignored her and rested his arms on the concrete surface of the balcony, watching a few students leaving the school ground. Deep inside, he's thinking of a way to escape, calculating his chances of surviving if he jumped from the second storey balcony. Before he could make up a decision, his cousin blurted out, "Oh my god! You're still holding a grudge on that boy I punched years ago because of the peanuts fiasco?"

"FYI, you're the one who's still hung up on that incident, not me."

"That's because he forced you to eat them. And I don't go around beating people for no reason." She replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh really?" He whipped around to look at her; all traces of humor are gone from his face. "Tell me, what happened between you and Ohara-chan in the school garden? I saw the bruises on her arms, and she confessed to me, after forcing her to talk, that you're the one who caused them."

Mizuki stared at him, bug eyed, before shaking her head to clear her mind. "Word surely travels fast around here." She snorted. "In case you haven't notice, I'm the one with the freaking bandage on my forehead. And I didn't know that you two were quite chummy with each other." She added afterwards, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"So what if I am? Just because you don't like her doesn't mean I have to dislike her too." Mito said sharply. He was starting to get irritated with her.

Mizuki frowned at his answer. "I know you liked her alright. I just didn't know that you would fall for someone who's so superficial and fake."

"Do you hear yourself, Mizu? You sound like a bitter old hag." He said with a note of exasperation in his voice.

Mizuki felt a sharp pain in her chest. She and her cousin had never gone into an argument where they ended up insulting one another. Sure, she nagged him all the time about his slacking and smoking habits, but he never made any hurtful remarks towards her. He would simply roll his eyes and complained about her sticking her nose out of people's business. But now, he was standing before her with a mean look on his eyes, so unlike his usually cool self. And Mizuki had to wonder if her criticism to Ohara was the reason for the abrupt change in his demeanor. She was aware that Mito and the rest of the gang had a crush on the cute freshman, but she didn't know that he and Ohara were actually quite friendly with each other, given the fact that he's aware of what transpired between the two girls at the school garden mere hours ago. A sudden thought crossed her mind.

"Is she the one who gave you the muffins?"

"Huh?" Mito blinked in confusion at her words.

"Ohhh, I get it now."

"Get what?" He asked; his dark brows furrowed in mild annoyance.

"So that's why you couldn't resist. Because it was your dear Ohara-chan who baked those _chocolate muffins_." She sneered at the last two words.

Mito stares at her in general disbelief. "Look." He muttered, running his hands through his messy hair. "I know you have an overactive imagination and have the habit of spouting absurd theories that pops on that crazy head of yours, but-"

"That's why you've been acting so defensive, taking her side." She said, cutting him off.

"Now hold on just a minute. I-" He began to say, but he stopped talking immediately as he noticed her brown eyes gleaming with anger. He could tell she was silently accusing him for whatever twisted story she's concocted in her head.

"You told her." Mizuki says angrily.

"Told her what?" Mito snapped at her. He's getting seriously pissed now.

"About what happened to my father!"

Once again, Mito was caught off guard by her statement. He knew that talking about her dad was an emotional topic for her and he's a bit perplexed as to why she suddenly brought uncle to their conversation. She was looking at him like he betrayed her and it dawned on him that she thought that he actually told Ohara about what happened to her dad. If the situation wasn't so serious, he would have rolled his eyes at her accusations.

"Of course not." His tone sounded offended. "We never talked about uncle."

"Then how the hell did she found out about the car accident?"

"I don't know!" He replied, his voice raising a notch.

"Stop lying!" She yelled back.

"I'm not!"

"You know what, Mito? You and Ohara are compatible with each other."

Mito grits his teeth. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means she's a fraud and you're a liar." Mizuki told him callously. Sometimes, her temper outweighs her common sense and she blamed today's events for her antagonistic behaviour. Or maybe it's just an excuse to let out all those emotions she's long suppressed.

Mito couldn't believe what he's hearing or seeing. The hateful girl standing in front of him was not his cousin. He realized that talking with an angry Mizuki is like talking to a brick wall.

"Let's talk when you're in your right mind." He turned his back away from her, fully determined to leave her to her damn non sequitur, but exactly as he expected, Mizuki wouldn't just shut up.

"Are you still smoking?"

Okay, he had to admit, she got him there. One minute they were talking about Ohara, and afterwards, she strangely brought the issue about her dad, and now their conversation suddenly shifted to his smoking habits.

 _'_ _Talk about random.'_

"What are you getting at now?" He asked as he turned to look at her.

"Yes or No?" She said simply.

"We've been through this before, Mizu." He grumbled under his breath. Mizuki silently regarded him, her brown eyes piercing him and scrutinizing his every move.

Mito let out a deep breath before he replied, "No, I stopped smoking months ago. Are you happy now? Can I go home and rest or are you not finished with your interrogations?"

"Let me see what's inside your pockets then." She demanded, ignoring his question.

"Fine!" He huffed before proceeding to empty the pockets of his pants with its contents. He was about to throw them on the floor in indignation when he felt something on his fingertips, and his bloated face paled instantly.

 _'_ _Uh-oh'._ He thought. _'I couldn't possibly let her see it.'_

He glanced at her nervously, his mind having an internal battle, while his hand clutched at the concealed item in his pocket. _'I'm not yet ready to tell her or anyone, but if I didn't, she will think the worse of me.'_

His eyes darted back and forth as beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. He could feel the weight of Mizuki's gaze crushing him.

"What's with the investigation, Mizu?"

"What's in your pocket, Mito?" She pressed on.

"Nothing." His hesitation only drew further suspicion to himself. He tried to keep a calm demeanor but he knows that Mizuki can see through his lies. He could not keep his eyes on her for too long and missed the crestfallen look on her face.

"Come on, Mizu, I stopped smoking. You have my word."

"Do I really?" She whispered before she sped off in the other direction, leaving him in an empty corridor.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Stratagem

There were moments when Mizuki felt really thankful that Sakuragi became her friend. It is true that the two of them started on the wrong foot, but those misunderstandings are all in the past. Despite the redhead's reputation of being a delinquent, there is no denying the fact that he is fiercely loyal to his friends. Sure, he can be a total pain in the ass most of the time, but when one of his buddies gets into trouble, expect him to be in the front line of the battle.

But that's not the reason she's feeling grateful for his camaraderie. At present, there's no flying fists and broken nose involved. Right now, there are only peals of laughter and hilarious antics.

Together with Sakuragi and Takamiya, the three of them took shelter offered by the massive cherry blossom tree located at the far corner of the school ground. Sitting cross-legged on the grass covered earth; Mizuki laughed her heart out as she listened to the redhead's amusing recap of what occurred during the audition for the role of prince charming. Truthfully, she didn't quite understand what he's talking about as he keep giggling during the entire duration of his storytelling. But as they say, laughter is contagious, so she and Takamiya couldn't help but join him in his giggle fest. Students, who were already familiar with Sakuragi and his crazy attitude, as well as his equally demented friends, chose to simply ignore the laughing trio.

"Stop! My tummy can't handle all this laughing anymore." Takamiya begged as he removed his glasses to wipe the tears coursing down his cheeks.

"I don't even know why we are laughing in the first place. I can barely understand what you are saying." Mizuki said, her face slightly flushed from all the giggling.

"Will you two dummies try listening for once." The redhead reprimanded his friends with a playful tone. "As I was saying, me and Ohkusu were so tired of Noma bragging about how the power of his mustache will land him the male lead, so what blondie and I did - *laugh* oh man- you should have seen - *laugh* I can't even -" Once again, Sakuragi's words were garbled as he went into another fit of giggles.

Lips twitching in amusement, Mizuki and Takamiya were unable to resist the bubble of laughter that threatened to spill from their mouths, and not too long, the two were seen clutching their stomachs in uncontrollable amusement.

 _'_ _Yep. We are such a happy bunch.'_ Mizuki thought, not the least bit annoyed that she never gets to hear the whole story from her dummy of a friend.

Which brings Mizuki back to her previous reflection about how grateful she was for the redhead's friendship. Amidst all the drama surrounding her life, it was Sakuragi that always pulled him out from the dark alley she's currently trapped in. He was her constant. The one person she can rely to make her forget her problems.

She knew Sakuragi was aware that she and her cousin, Mito, got into an argument. She didn't ask him to elaborate further on what he knows about their fight. When he and Takamiya went to accompany her during mid-morning recess, she tried to persuade them to go with Mito and the others, immediately feeling guilty that their usually tight knit group was now divided into two, and it's all because of her. Her red head friend just shrugged and quipped that he's getting bored of Mito's company.

It's not that she's extremely angry at her cousin. A bit disappointed maybe, and hurt that he's keeping things from her. She didn't exactly like the accusing tone on his voice when he mentioned the bruises on Ohara's arms. She should have explained to him that the girl provoked her, which made her channel her inner-Sakuragi. But no, she was not able to explain to him what really happened; instead, her mind went haywire and ended up with verbal insults.

She was not entirely certain whether Ohara heard all about the accident from Mito or if she's the mysterious muffin provider, but she was sure that he's not entirely being truthful. And his refusal to give in to her demand to let her see the contents in his pockets only strengthen her allegation of him that he still had not given up smoking. He made an oath to her and his mom that he will stop smoking, and he broke that promise. And that is something she's not ready to accept.

xxxxx

Mizuki covered her mouth as she let out a huge yawn, tears springing from her eyes as she doodled aimlessly on her notebook in an attempt to wake her senses. She was not one to fall asleep during class, and she's mustering all her will power so that she will not be consumed by drowsiness. She doodled, bit her knuckles, slapped her cheeks, pulled her eyebrows, but all of her efforts to keep herself awake are deemed futile as she cannot prevent her eyelids from drooping. And the monotonous voice of their teacher and the gloomy weather outside were making things worse for her. She let out another yawn, her 25th yawn - not that she's counting, and stared blankly at the blackboard, her eyes glazing over.

Thankfully, after long torturous hours, free period has finally arrived. Mizuki was fully intent on spending that free time on taking a power nap. As the rest of the class busied themselves with all kinds of student activities, Mizuki buried her head in her arms on the table, not caring that her posture is the exact replica of the sleeping guy situated behind her.

It had been almost four days since her fight with Mito, and the two of them are still not on speaking terms. Well, they did talk to each other, if you consider answering in a one word reply a conversation. Things are awkward between them and she wondered if everything will be back to normal. She was glad for the part time work, not only does the job helps her with her financial burden, but it also serves as a distraction amidst the chaos surrounding her life. The only downside was that all those hours spend working was draining all of her energy. Not to mention that the gargantuan son of her boss was such a slave driver. _'Boss Monkey.'_ She thought bitterly before drifting to sleep.

But it seems that she can never get the rest she desired, as her siesta was rudely interrupted by Takamiya.

"Hey, Mizuki-chan." Called the portly guy, poking her on the shoulder. She stirred a bit but did not wake. "Mizuki-chan, yoohoo!" Takamiya called her name again, slightly louder this time.

Mizuki, whose head was still buried in her arms on the desk, immediately recognized the voice of the inconsiderate person and asked in an annoyed tone. "What do you want, Nozomi?"

"Well..." He faltered for a second then continued. "You wanna go to the canteen to buy some snacks?"

"No." She replied quickly, wishing he would just leave her alone. Now she knows what Rukawa feels when his sleep was disrupted.

A frown formed on her lips when she heard Takamiya's voice again. "The thing is…" She heard him say and his next remark popped up a few veins at the back of her head. "I was hoping you could let me borrow some cash?"

 _'_ _Seriously?'_

Mizuki look over her shoulder and cracking one eye open, she hissed at him. "Are you kidding me?"

"Nope." He answered, popping the p.

 _'_ _Unbelievable'._ She thought. Here she was slaving herself away so she could be a lesser burden to her aunt and uncle and Takamiya actually had the gall to borrow money from her so just he could satisfy that bottomless stomach of his. Talk about insensitive.

"Haven't you eaten enough already?" She just saw him devoured an enormous size of burger during history class. And that was only a few minutes ago.

Takamiya simply shrugged and pat his massive belly. "You know me, I'm a growing boy. Besides, there's always room for more."

Mizuki straightened up in her seat and regarded the bespectacled boy sitting across from her with undisguised irritation. She knew she was being cranky, but she'd spent an entire evening scrubbing floors and washing dishes and she had to stay up very late to prepare for the exam, which was being given the next day. She didn't know whether to be grateful or frustrated when the teacher decided to be generous when he postponed the quiz.

Noticing the dark circles under the short-haired girl's eyes, Takamiya couldn't keep his big mouth shut as he exclaimed, "Whoa!You look like a freaking zombie!"

 _'_ _Great. Maybe I should add that to my list of growing problems.'_ She thought sardonically.

Ignoring the bulky guy's frank observation, Mizuki stretched her arms over her head to knock the kinks out. Smothering a yawn, she asked, "Where's the rest of the henchmen?" She briefly wondered why the boy with the insatiable appetite had preferred to bug her into borrowing money when it's no secret that Yuji Ohkosu was the most affluent among the group.

Takamiya didn't need to answer her spoken query as her attention turned in front of the class, and instantly noticed two familiar figures huddled at the blackboard. Curiosity filled her and she strained her neck to get a better view and what she saw written on the board had her almost falling from her seat.

What the heck?!" She cried out, all thoughts of drowsiness vanished at once.

Chuichirou Noma, looking much younger now that he is moustache free, (courtesy of a certain redhead) paused dramatically, the chalk suspended in mid-air. He slowly turned around and saw a visibly red Mizuki glowering in anger. "Oopps." He drawled, not sounding the least bit sorry. "Looks like she caught us."

The blonde guy standing beside him seems unfazed by Noma's revelation and silently continued with his artwork.

She rushed towards the front of the room and elbowed the two guys away from the blackboard so she could erase her and Rukawa's name enclosed in a large heart shape.

 _'_ _What is wrong with these people?'_ She thought angrily as she hastily wiped the board. First, Takamiya woke her up so he can borrow cash from her when he's very much aware that she's totally broke, and then she discovered what these two idiots had drawn on the board.

 _'_ _Was annoying the hell out of me their ultimate goal in life?'_

When she had finally made sure the board was spotless, she whipped her head around to glare at the two mischief-makers, who didn't even flinched from her poisonous stare.

Their nonchalant attitude made her blood boil even more. Noma was leaning casually on the wall and picking his nails while Ohkusu pulled out a manga from his back pocket and began reading.

Mizuki took a deep breath and exhaled, in an effort to calm her frazzled nerves. It wouldn't do her any good if she lost her temper now because it could drain her out of what little was left of her energy. She let out a tired sigh before marching back to her seat to do something useful with her free time.

But for some reason she couldn't fathom, the two seems hell bent on aggravating her.

"Wait," Ohkusu said. "Aren't you going to chase us so you could beat us up?"

Mizuki glared heatedly at the blonde haired boy. However, she remained silent, refusing to take the bait. She shifted her attention to her biology book and busied herself with reading. Deep inside, her mind was in turmoil.

 _'_ _Do they honestly think I'm that violent?'_

"Awww,you're no fun." Ohkusu grumbled when he wasn't able to get a rise out of her.

Mizuki flipped through the pages of her book, pretending to be engrossed with the topic of evolution. When she didn't hear any more teasing from the two, she smiled secretly to herself. She will not fall victim to whatever scheme they were planning. Just as these thoughts crossed her mind, Ohkusu and Noma managed to come up with a new tactic.

And this time, the pair succeeded in getting her all riled up.

"Zuki and Kaede sitting on a tree," The troublesome duo chimed in a singsong voice.

 _'_ _That's it. They are so dead.'_

"K-I-S-" They weren't able to finish their childish teasing as Mizuki quickly lunged from her seat. The two guys took off with her running after them.

"Come back here, you bunch of cowards!" She yelled as she chased them along the corridor.

Ohkusu and Noma, who had goofy grins on their faces minutes ago, were now sweating profusely as they tried their best to avoid being caught.

Who would have thought she could run so fast?

Just when they thought that their fate were doomed, they spotted Mito on the opposite side of the corridor.

Mizuki skidded to a halt when she saw her cousin walking with his head down as if in deep thought.

"Mito, my friend!"

The raven haired boy raised his head up when he heard Noma's extremely winded voice. "Yo." He greeted and lifted his hand to give a small wave.

The two gruellingly approached Mito and positioned themselves between him. "Oh boy, I am so glad to see you." Ohkusu said, panting heavily.

Noma bent forward and rested his hands on his knees, desperately trying to catch his breath.

"Whoa." Mito let out a laugh when he saw his friends' current condition. "What in the world happened to both of you?" He asked with a grin.

Noma straightened from his crouched position and eyed him warily. "We're supposed to meet you in the cafeteria." He demanded a little breathlessly.

Mito seemed confused as he tilted his head to one side. "Huh? Says who?"

Ohkusu and Noma slapped their hands on their forehead at the same time. Expect that redhead to forget and screw their plans. He probably got distracted by Haruko. Again.

Any response that Mito's about to say got stuck in his throat when he caught sight of Mizuki standing several feet before him, looking so lost and awkward as she fidget with the hem of her blazer.

The abrupt silence caused the other two boys to turn their gaze to her as well.

"Hey." Mito spoke first in an effort to break the ice.

She glanced briefly at him, before dropping her eyes once more to her twiddling fingers. "Hey." She replied quietly, unsure of what else to say.

An uncomfortable silence ensues. After a moment, Ohkusu and Noma both shake their heads in disappointment.

"Gee," Ohkusu muttered under his breath. "This is awkward."

Noma clucked his tongue impatiently. "Will you two just talk already?"

Mito shot him a stern glare which prompts Noma to hold his hands out in surrender. Ohkusu followed suit and then made a gesture of zipping his mouth.

Convinced that he wouldn't be hearing any sort of comments from the pair, Mito tentatively took a step towards her.

Mizuki remained rooted in place, still fiddling with the edge of her blazer.

When he was within a short distance from her, he asked in a hushed tone. "You okay?"

Slowly, she nodded.

"You tell me if those two buffoons are bothering you, alright?" He added as an afterthought while pointing to the two guys behind him.

She made no response, so he continued. "Listen, about what ha-"

His words were cut off by a squeaky male voice. "Ah! There you are, Yohei-chan."

All four of them turned to look at the diminutive student who was walking at a brisk pace in their direction. Positioning himself between Mizuki and Mito, and facing the former, the meddler began asking her a barrage of questions about the article.

Ohkusu and Noma were quite surprised and at the same time miffed by the rude behaviour of this particular student. How dare he just barged in and interrupt a conversation?

Temper flaring, Noma barked at the intruder. "Oi, short stuff! Can't you see that she's busy?"

The student ceased talking, and shifted his attention to glower at Noma. "Excuse me," He said, crossing his arms indignantly. "Are you talking to me?"

Rolling his eyes, Ohkusu added scathingly. "Duh?" Do you see any midgets around here besides yourself?"

"Guys, that's enough." Mizuki said in an almost scolding manner. She then mumbled her apology to the petite guy. "Sorry about that, Iwata-senpai."

The school newspaper's Editor-in-chief turned to look at her, and in an incredulous tone, he asked, "You know those rascals?"

Mizuki let out a sigh as she answered, "Unfortunately." Her response garnered a throng of protests from the two hooligans.

Iwata clucked his tongue in disapproval on her choice of friends. "You need to teach them some manners, Yohei-chan. Such rude fellows."

Noma and Ohkusu were about to pummel the small guy for his remark, if not for Mito restraining their actions.

Dragging the pair away from Mizuki, Mito offered her a small smile as he said, "We'll just talk some other time, Mizu."

Mizuki simply nodded her head in response and watched the three of them walked away. She frowned and mentally slapped herself for acting so stupid. Her cousin was making an effort to reconcile with her and she just stood there saying nothing. She let out a loud sigh.

The irksome high-pitched voice of Iwata-senpai disrupted her pity party. Again, he bombarded her with inquisitions about the update on the Rukawa article. The discussion consumed the rest of her free period and Mizuki felt more exhausted than ever.

As she made her way back to the classroom, her eyes strayed to the students lingering in the corridor. A familiar looking boy with a bowl haircut managed to catch her attention. The said boy was engaged in a heavy discussion with his classmates that he didn't notice Mizuki's gaze.

A plan began to formulate in her head. She knew it was a low blow on her part, but she's running out of time. She wants this interview done with so she can have Iwata-senpai off her back.

Giving the boy one final glance, Mizuki was pretty sure that this will not be the last time that she would be seeing him. After all, she was planning on giving her new found friends a visit as soon as class ended.

xxxxx

A trio of boys, all wearing tight spandex pants, were chatting animatedly as they headed towards the field for practice. They were discussing various strategies necessary to get to the national tournament.

It was the boy with the funny haircut who saw her first. Immediately, he stilled and his face paled as if all blood were drained from his body. His two companions noticed his discomfort and asked him what's wrong, and the oldest of the three even commented that the stunned boy acted like he'd seen a ghost. Laughing at his own joke, he patted his underclassman's shoulder and advised him to lay off the coffee for a while. His mirthful face suddenly morphed into a mask of horror when he finally discovered the reason for his kohai's abrupt change in demeanor.

Leaning back against the chain-link fence was second year student Yohei Mizuki; the girl with whom the senior student recently had an altercation that leave both of them unconscious. That incident in the garden was something he wants to forget; as he utterly made a fool out of himself by passing out. Worst of all, it was not only his teammates who had witnessed that embarrassing spectacle but also his beloved Ohara-chan. He let out an audible gulp when the short haired girl drew closer and he resisted the urge to run away.

"Hello boys, long time no see." Although Mizuki greeted them with a friendly smile, the three guys remained stiff and frozen to the spot.

"Awww, why so serious?" She said in a teasing tone, secretly pleased to see their petrified faces. After all, instilling fear is necessary in order for her plan to work.

"Anyway, about what happened last time-"

What they did next caught her off guard. She wasn't able to finish her sentence as the three boys started kneeling in front of her. "Please forgive us, Yohei-san!" They cried out in unison, bowing with their foreheads rested on the ground.

"Ummm, guys….Geez, please stand up." She pleaded to them, clearly uncomfortable with their behavior. She saw some students looking their way with a curious expression written on their faces. "Come on,guys. This is so embarrassing." She said with a hint of panic in her voice.

But it appears that the three of them were not going to budge until Mizuki had accepted their apologies.

Mizuki huffed, blowing her bangs off her forehead. "Listen, I acce-"

"We will do anything you ask from us, just please, forgive us, Yohei-san!" Bowl cut boy blurted out, his face still hidden as he remained in a bowed position.

"-cept your-" She stopped when she realized the words he uttered. One of her eyebrows lifted up as she considered his statement and a wicked smile appeared on her lips. That turned out to be much easier than she expected. And she hasn't even brought up Sakuragi's name yet.

"Anything?" She asked sweetly.

Still kneeling on the ground, the three of them answered her query without any trace of hesitation. "Yes! Anything."

Her smile turned into a triumphant grin upon hearing their response.

The second stage of her plan must now begin.

 _'_ _It's time to put on the big guns.'_

xxxxx

"OK, guys! Practice is over!" Miyagi announced, to the extreme relief of several players whose feeling the strain in their arms and legs from the strenuous workout.

"What?! It's over already?!" A loud yell was heard in the gymnasium, coming from Shohoku's number one troublemaker, Sakuragi. "And here I thought we were just warming up." He remarked while dribbling the ball with his right hand. A smug look appeared on his face as he cast a glance over his teammates' worn out bodies. "What a bunch of weaklings." He added before letting out his trademark laugh.

The players groaned loudly at his haughty remark.

"Is that so?" Ayako chimed in. Within seconds, she appeared at his side, carrying a mop and wearing a mischievous smile. "Well, Sakuragi, since you're so tough and bustling with energy, why don't you take over today's cleaning and spare your poor teammates the burden of scrubbing the floor?" She said while offering the mop to the now stunned redhead.

Miyagi burst into laughter as he heard Ayako's suggestion. The first years, who were in charge of today's cleaning, mumbled their sincerest thanks to the still stupefied Sakuragi.

The minute Sakuragi managed to recover from his shocked state, he began protesting vehemently. "Hey, that's not fair!" He complained while stomping his foot like a spoiled brat. He went on like this for quite some time until Haruko took pity on him and offered her help.

"I'll help you, Sakuragi-kun."

The redhead's ears perked up as soon as he heard Haruko's soft voice. A wide grin replaced the scowl on his lips as he shifted his full attention to the pretty girl in front of him.

"Thank you, Haruko-chan! That is so nice of you." Sakuragi responded amiably. There is no way he's going to miss a golden opportunity like this. He giggled like a lunatic at the thought that the two of them will be spending some quality time _alone_ at the gym.

Ayako simply rolled her eyes at his silly antics.

"Listen, guys. Before you leave, just a short reminder." Miyagi abruptly declared. The team gathered in a circle to listen to their captain with the exception of Sakuragi who's still daydreaming.

"The Regionals is already near. For Shohoku's first game, we will be playing against Yokosuka High school. Although their school is not in par with Kainan or Ryonan with regards to skills, we should never be complacent. I want you all to give your very best. Everyone, remember our final goal is-"

"National Championship!" Sakuragi; who had woken from his short stupor, piped up.

Miyagi ignored him and continue speaking. "Basketball not only requires you to be physically prepared but also mentally ready. You should adequately prepare your body and free your mind from unne-"

"Blah,blah,blah. Geez, Ryo-chin! Enough with the zen stuff already!" The redhead's whining earned him a solid whack from the team manageress' paper fan.

"Thank you, Aya-chan. As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted," He paused for a moment to give the redhead a withering stare and then proceeded with his talk. "You should free your mind from unnecessary thoughts once you're in the game. Keep your focus on you, and your responsibility inside the court."

After what seemed like an eternity to Sakuragi, the captain finally finished his _boring_ speech. He desperately wanted the meeting to be over and done with so he can have Haruko all by himself.

"Thank you for a good game today, team. See you all tomorrow." Miyagi stated.

"Yeah, it was supposed to be over like…like three hours ago!" Sakuragi interjected.

Miyagi didn't show any indication that he heard him and went directly to the bench to retrieve his stuff. Ayako was extremely pleased that he was not retaliating and was acting like a matured person for once.

"Good practice, guys! Now go home and get some rest."

"You too, Ayako-san." One of the players replied.

After changing from their sweaty jersey and exchanging goodbyes, the players began leaving the gym, including Ryota, who left in a hurry as he just recalled an important errand that his mother had given him this morning.

Yasuda, who was arranging the clothes in his sports bag, noticed Rukawa frowning at the contents of his bag.

"What's the matter, Rukawa?" He inquired.

Rukawa simply pointed to his Nike duffel bag. Feeling extremely curious, Yasuda lean in to take a peek inside their ace's bag and his jaw slacked open at what he discovered.

"Eh?! What are those rocks doing inside your bag?!"

Ayako, upon hearing Yasuda's perplexed voice, went over to investigate.

She let out a disappointed sigh when she learned what the fuss is all about. "Looks like somebody's pulling a prank on you, Rukawa-kun."

"Who would do something childish like that?" Yasuda asked, wondering who's the crazy person that consumed an enormous time collecting rocks of different sizes just so he can pranked Rukawa…

...Oh wait. He did know of someone insane enough to pull this kind of stunt.

"Do you even have to ask, Yasuda?" Ayako said to him.

Right on cue, Sakuragi sauntered back to the gym after terrorizing a few players who's still in the locker room. Humming to himself in an off-key tune, he proceeded to mopping the floor alongside Haruko, oblivious to the stares Ayako and the two boys were giving him.

The redhead was completely captivated by the presence of Haruko that he failed to notice the rock flying through the air and heading towards his way. The stone hit his forehead, and he fell face down on the gym floor.

Haruko let out a loud shriek when she saw Sakuragi lying on the ground and quickly come to his aid.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Rukawa acted as if nothing happened. Lifting his bag, he casually dumps the contents on the floor. The sound of clattering rocks reverberated throughout the gymnasium, catching Haruko's attention. She turned her head on the source of the noise and had her eyes bugging out of their sockets when she learned who the culprit was. She composed her face when she realized how funny she must have look to them and then threw a questioning glance towards Ayako.

The team manageress arranged her cap as she answered her unspoken query. "Well, I will grant Sakuragi a score of B for the effort." Her reply befuddled the younger girl even more. "And an A for Rukawa's marksmanship." Ayako concluded.

The raven haired boy merely shrugged, and then left the gym. Anyway, it was not his turn to clean the gym today so he didn't give a damn about the mess he made. It was the Dou Ahou's fault anyway.

Rukawa adjusted the straps of the duffel bag on his shoulder while heading towards the bicycle parking area. As he neared the shed, he noticed a group of boys standing to the spot where he usually parked his bike. He paused momentarily, confused with the unfamiliar scene before him. He was used to girls waiting for him, but to see high school boys wearing spandex pants pining for him was something he haven't encountered yet. He felt himself backpedalling and decided that he will just take the bus to get home.

But it's too late to escape now as he heard one of them called out his name. "Ah! There he is! Rukawa-senpai!"

He turns slightly, his stoic features providing no clue of what was on his mind.

The three boys bowed simultaneously to him and one of them, the leader, Rukawa assumed, held out both of his hands to him. He spotted the small paper on his hand but made no move to take it.

"Please, Rukawa-kun, we hold no grudge against you. We were merely paying the penalty for our inappropriate deeds to a certain someone. You see, the three of us made a promise to her and we have no choice but to fulfill them." The boy said in a rehearsed tone.

Rukawa had absolutely no idea what he's babbling about. Annoyed by the fact that somebody is always disturbing him, he moved passed them to get his bike so he can head home and be free of those wackos.

But there is one problem….

His particular mode of transportation is currently missing.

 _'_ _What the hell?'_

He looked back at the three students, eyeing them suspiciously and they began to fidget under the intensity of his glare. As he started moving towards them, one of them trips from the uneven pavement when he tried to step back away from him.

"W-we were just mere pawns! We swear!" The gangly boy nervously piped up. His hands were shaking badly as he once again proffered the small paper towards him. "This is from Yohei-chan."

Rukawa blinked, surprise registering briefly in his eyes.

 _'_ _Rooftop girl? What is she up to now?'_

After the so-called love letter incident last week, she never made a move to pester and harass him to give an interview, and he assumed that she had conceded already. Which was fine by him since he consider her as an annoying busybody.

It would seem that his assumption that she had dropped off the whole stupid interview was incorrect. This girl just won't give up.

He glanced warily at the letter, contemplating whether he should take it or not. In the end, he yielded and took the paper from the other boy. As soon as Rukawa got hold of the letter, the three boys ran away like madmen.

 _'_ _Tsk. This school is such a breeding ground for idiots.'_

His focus returned to the small piece of paper on his hands. Curiosity took over him and he began to unfold it and started reading. Slowly, a crease formed on his forehead as he read the letter again.

 **Dear Rukawa,**

 **This is to inform you that I have your bicycle. If you still want your precious bike in one piece, meet me at the library today after basketball practice.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Mizuki**

 _'_ _She stole my bike?'_ He thought incredulously. _'Is she for real?'_

The only plausible reason Rukawa could think of was that since she's always hanging out with that Dou Ahou, her brain cells were severely affected and had gradually diminished.

He stood there for some time, unsure of what else to do. Common sense told him that he should not pay heed to her silly threat, but as he concluded a while ago, Shohoku is really a breeding ground for idiots. Guess he's one of them now….

….And that's how Rukawa finds himself heading in the general direction of the library.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Caught in the Storm

 _A little girl of about 5 years old wearing a wide brimmed hat, dark blue dress with butterfly embroidery on the center and a pair of black boots, was seen sulking in one corner as she poked the mound of soil at her feet with a stick. She was feeling a bit dejected because as of now, she haven't seen any progress on the seedlings that she planted recently. It was the same brown lump of dirt just like yesterday._

 _Her father, noticing the child's disheartened mood, placed his gardening tools on the ground and approached her. The girl ignored him and continues with her moping._

 _Knowing his daughter's lack of patience, he softly patted her head and gave her a reassuring smile._

 _"_ _Do you see that huge tree over there, Mizu-chan?"_

 _The girl looked up at her father, and then turned her gaze to where he was pointing. Her mouth briefly dropped open in surprise, followed by a loud squeal of pure joy. She jumped excitedly, all woes forgotten, as she realized that her dad was talking about her favorite tree._

 _"_ _Ah! It's my momiji tree!"_

 _Kneeling down on the ground so that he was at eye level with her, he said, "Well, would you believe that thick limbed and leafy shade tree of yours used to be just a skinny sapling? And that it took many years for your tree to grow that tall?"_

 _She looked at the tree with an awe struck expression. "Really?" She asked incredulously. All this time, she thought that her tree had just sprouted from the ground and grew that huge overnight._

 _"_ _Your oka-san and I planted it on our 1_ _st_ _year anniversary as a couple."_

 _Her father's revelation brought a wide, bright smile on her face. She enjoyed hearing stories that involved her mom and having discovered that it was her parents who were responsible for its existence had her running towards her beloved tree. It was like her mother knew she was soon leaving her little girl behind so she left a parting gift for her. She reached out and encircled the trunk as far as her short arms could reach and mumbled a silent thank you, with the wind carrying her utmost gratitude._

 _She turned her head to look back at her father, only to discover that he was no longer there. The smile on her face immediately vanished and panic swelled within her. She began running back to where she last saw him and repeatedly called for her father._

 _All of a sudden, there was a brilliant flash of lightning followed by a booming thunder. Terrified by the sound, she started running aimlessly and fell down when she tripped on a rock. She forced herself to stand up on her shaky legs and wipe the rain and tears from her face._

 _Another flash of lightning pierced the sky and she watched in horror as her momiji tree was struck with such force that it was split in half._

 _Her screams were muffled by the deafening clap of the thunder._

Mizuki woke with a start, her heart racing rapidly. _'It's just a dream.'_ She told herself. She shook her head in an attempt to block the vivid images in her head, but was considered ineffective when thunder rattled the entire room. She remained motionless on the floor and forced her mind to relax, staring into the blackness of the room. She had been lying on her back for quite some time when realization finally dawned on her. She sat bolt upright and squinted around the now deserted and darkened library. She must have fallen asleep while working on her math assignment. But, how long has she been sleeping? And why oh why did she let herself fall asleep? And why didn't that old hag wake her up? She thought as she rubbed her face in irritation.

Sighing deeply, Mizuki knew that she shouldn't put the blame on the poor librarian, and only she should be held accountable. After all, it was her idea to meet Rukawa in the library. She even picked the most secluded spot in the room so other students wouldn't notice. _'Not that I'm scheming on murdering him or anything.'_ She thought wryly.

She wondered if karma was getting back to her when she executed her plan on stealing Rukawa's bike so she could get to talk to him and perhaps convince (more like coerce) him on finally giving an interview. She had to admit that it wasn't really the brightest of idea, but desperate times calls for desperate measures.

The crackling sounds of thunder broke her reverie and made her recognized the fact that she's all alone in the library late at night, devoid of any light, during a raging storm, which she envisioned as a typical scene in a horror movie. Mizuki's wild imagination rapidly kicked in and starts to feed frightening images in her head. A shiver went down her spine as she recalled Hanamichi's story of the boy whose feet were in shackles with a huge steel ball, the heavy metal on his feet created clacking noises as he roamed the school's corridor when darkness fall. Blinded by the blackness of the room, she began to crawl on her knees, not trusting her shaky legs and clumsy self to do a hasty retreat. She tried to recall the outline of the room, but apparently, her terrified state prevents her brain from functioning, and ended up with her head bumping one of the table legs.

"Ouch!" She groaned, as she ran her fingers across her scalp, searching for a bump. Lucky for her, she found none. Taking a deep breath, Mizuki tried to rein in her scattered thoughts. Gripping the table leg for support, she stood up cautiously and propped her hands on the edge of the lengthy wooden table. She began walking forward slowly, using the furniture as a guide. Thunder rumbled again and its ear-splitting clap made her jump and a small squeak escaped her lips. She could feel her heart pounding so fast with fear. "There's nothing to be afraid of." She whispered, willing herself to calm down. "It's just thunder."

"Don't be such a scaredy-cat." Mizuki told herself and started moving again, eager to escape. As the heavy rain pounded on the roof, she thought she heard someone groaned, but quickly dismissed it, determined not to let her mind wander on anything spooky. Her ears must be playing tricks on her.

 _'_ _Maybe the sound that I heard was coming from the boy, whose feet were bound in chains, crying softly because nobody seems to care or even tried to help him. Or maybe – Dang. I need to stop with these eerie thoughts.'_

"Dog goes woof, cat goes meow, bird goes tweet…." Mizuki began to sing in order to distract herself from imagining headless ghosts and other creepy creatures.

She continued to sing in a shaky, slightly off-key voice. However, her attempt to divert her thoughts elsewhere didn't seem to be successful because she has this distinctive feeling that she's not exactly alone, that there was someone else in the room with her. She can just make out the sound of a person letting out a snort, and that someone was almost nearby. This discovery made the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

"B-but there's one s-sound that no one knows..." She sang again, louder this time, in an effort to suppress the sense of panic growing within her.

"What does the fox say – Aaahhhh!" Mizuki screamed when her palm touched what felt like somebody's arm. She quickly withdrew her hand and took several steps back, hitting the bookshelves in the process.

She swallowed audibly, and stood frozen to the spot as she listened to the screech of a chair being pushed back. She could hear movement in the dark, the shuffling of feet and the sound of knuckles cracking.

She was right all along. She wasn't alone in the library.

 _'_ _But who could it be?'_

Silence filled the room, except for the rain splattering hard against the windows, before Mizuki finally summoned the courage to speak.

"W-who's there?" She called out.

Instead of answering her question, a male voice in an obviously annoyed tone commented, "You're too noisy."

xxxxx

Rukawa was having a very nice dream. It was the final match for the Inter-high games and history was made as Shohoku was declared the overall champion. Rukawa obtained the highly coveted title of the Most Valuable Player, much to the displeasure of the red headed Dou Ahou. The latter's cries of protest were drowned out by the thundering roar of applause and cheers from the crowd.

But then something strange happened. There he was, standing in the middle of the large stadium, clutching the trophy to his chest and basking in his glory, when a horde of reporters and camera crews suddenly materialize out of nowhere. They swarmed around him like bees, buzzing loudly and started spouting all sorts of nonsense.

However, one voice stood out among the rest. He scanned the crowd, searching for the owner of the all-too-familiar voice. He spotted rooftop girl, currently being squashed amidst throngs of faceless reporters. She looks small and fragile, so unlike the spunky girl he encountered in school. For reasons unknown, he found himself walking towards her, pushing aside those who blocked his path. He stopped in front of her and was about to escort her to the door, when she began singing. Rukawa glanced at her and let out a small snort of disbelief. He had spent the past few weeks trying to get that awful song out of his mind, but now, there she was, singing her heart out, brutally reminding him of that atrocious song and driving him to the brink of insanity with her ceaseless caterwauling.

He fixed her with a murderous glare, but that only made her sing loudly.

"What does the fox say?"

Soon, others started joining her and the words 'What does the fox say?' reverberated around the arena. Rukawa tried to escape but found himself surrounded by the faceless reporters who had their microphones shoved into his face as they continued chanting.

"What does the fox say?"

"What does the fox say?"

Suddenly, there was a loud, piercing scream in the background, which put an end to his dream.

For a while, Rukawa remained unmoving, eyes still closed and his mind completely weirded out by the dream he just had.

 _'_ _Now, that was one heck of a nightmare.'_ He thought while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, only to be met by darkness. He sat up, feeling a bit disoriented and wondering where on earth he has fallen asleep this time. And based on the strain on his back, he must have dozed off for quite some time. He pushed his chair back so that he could stretch his legs and then shifted his shoulders to release the stiffness in his neck.

The pounding of heavy rain echoed through the pitch black room. Rukawa promptly stood up and run his fingers through his disheveled hair, mentally cursing himself as he finally remembered where he was.

He was about to leave when he sensed the presence of someone else nearby. There seems to be somebody there in the shadows with him. He didn't have to wait too long to know the identity of the person hidden underneath the cloak of darkness when he heard her voice.

"W-who's there?"

Of course. How could he forget?

She was the reason he was in this room in the first place. He couldn't think of any logical explanation as to why he would voluntarily go to such a forsaken place. Come to think of it, this was the first time he had ever set his foot inside the library, and to his utter surprise, he discovered the ambience suitable for sleeping. It was quiet and empty, save for a boy at one corner of the room and an old lady librarian, who didn't even spare him a glance.

He remembered following the detailed direction drawn in her letter from where he can locate her. And when he finally got there, he found rooftop girl sprawled on the floor, dead asleep. She was leaning against the windowed wall with her head resting on one of the bookshelves, her right hand still clutching a book.

He stood still for a moment, torn between waking her up so he can disturb her sleep or disturb her sleep so she can wake up. But staring down at her sleeping form, he realized how pale and tired she looked. Everything about her seemed fragile. He had already made a similar observation earlier today, when he noticed her dozing off a couple of times during class. Not that he's staring or anything. It's just that her designated sitting position was opposite of him and one seat ahead, hence the observation.

In the end, he decided not to disrupt her sleep, proving once again that despite his cold demeanor and stoic face, he can be "sympathetic" and "compassionate" from time to time.

Having come to such a prudent decision, Rukawa snagged one of the chairs, crossed his arms on the desk and laid his head down. Soon after, he was fast asleep and dreaming of conquering the national championship, from which he was jolted awake by the sound of screaming.

Rukawa managed to put two and two together. It turns out that both of them had fell asleep and lost track on time, except that she's totally clueless to this fact. He almost wanted to take advantage of the situation, to scare her a little bit, but he was suddenly reminded of her pale and fragile look. For some reason, the image unsettled him, and then wondered why the hell he should even care. Irked by his thoughts, he replied coldly. "You're too noisy."

xxxxx

Mizuki could not believe her ears when she heard the unmistakable voice of Kaede Rukawa. He rarely talks but somehow, she recognized all too well the deep, gruff tone in his voice whenever he's irritated. And that guy is always in a bad mood. Either that or he's looking bored to death.

She must have looked completely like an idiot with her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of the water. Much to her relief, she remembered that the room was dark and that he can't see her face at the moment.

After recovering from the initial shock of finding him here, she managed to find her voice. "Rukawa-kun…" She said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "What are you doing here?"

As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she regretted having said them. She wanted to kick herself for being so stupid. Of course, he was here because she made this preposterous demand of meeting him in the library in exchange for the release of his bicycle.

But falling asleep was definitely not included in her agenda. This unforeseen incident put a dent in her plans, ruining her focus. The unflinching determination she had earlier rapidly dissipated into thin air.

"What I meant to say was, how long have you been here?" She said, trying to correct her earlier blunder.

There was no reply.

Mizuki peered into the darkness, and uncertainty began to creep in. Was hearing his voice just a figment of her imagination?

But then again, this is Kaede Rukawa. Talking to him is like talking to a brick wall. _'Maybe he ought to change his name to Kabe.'_ She thought wryly. (*Kabe is wall in Japanese.)

She heard him move further into the room, probably searching for an exit. Fearing he might leave her, she began to flail her arms frantically, reaching out blindly for him.

" H-hey!" She called after him, a trace of panic evident in her voice. "Wait up! Don't just leave me here!"

Relief washed over her when her hands found his shoulder. Without a second thought, she clutched the back of his shirt tightly, as if he was her lifeline. Truth be told, she was scared out of her wits. When she discovered she wasn't alone in the library, that it was not a ghost or any supernatural being that she encountered, she felt her fear slowly subside. Even though it seems like she's still unaccompanied, for engaging in a conversation with him is beyond the bounds of possibility, she can't help but be grateful. After all, beggars can't be choosers.

They began to walk in silence with Rukawa leading the way, who seems not the least bit perturbed by the absence of light. She briefly wondered if he had some sort of night vision, for he had no difficulty in finding his way through the darkness.

Rukawa stopped abruptly, causing Mizuki to bump into his back.

"Geez." She grumbled, taking a step back to put some distance between them without releasing her grip on his shirt. "A little warning next time would be nice."

As usual, he simply ignored her.

After a few minutes of struggling through the dark, he managed to locate the door handle. He tried to push the door open, only to find it locked. He turned the door handle again and pulled, but it wouldn't budge. Cursing under his breath, he ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

Immediately sensing that something was terribly wrong, Mizuki moved closer to him. "What?" She asked, clearly agitated. "Don't tell me it's locked."

Much to her chagrin, she heard him say, "It's locked."

His indifferent response instantly transformed her initial fear into irritation. "I told you not to tell me." She growled before pushing him away. She then searched for the door handle, trying to yank the door open by herself but to no avail. After a few tries, she got frustrated and started kicking the door. When that didn't work, she took a step back and then rammed her shoulder against the door. As she was about to shove the door again, she heard his voice behind her.

"Forget it. It's no use."

She complied, but not before giving the door one last kick. She then leaned her back against the door and tried to catch her breath. She can't believe she got herself locked up in the library. Any chance of escape seems hopeless, unless she wants to jump from the window, and end up with a broken bone.

"Well, we could at least turn on the lights." Mizuki said after a few minutes of contemplation. Just because he's totally comfortable brooding in the darkness doesn't mean she's okay with it.

Rukawa snorted in response. While she'd been busy taking out her frustration on the poor door, he had already found the light switch, but unfortunately, there seems to be an electrical outage due to the storm.

"Wait..." She paused as a sudden thought crossed her mind, "Don't tell me the power is out."

"The power is out." He replied coolly while leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Rukawa could just imagine the annoyed expression on her face. Too bad he couldn't see her at the moment.

Mizuki frowned at his answer. It was almost as if he was intentionally provoking her with his comments.

She took a deep breath and sank down to sit on the floor, knowing fully well that losing her temper now wasn't going to take her anywhere. Not having any idea on how long they're going to be locked up, and since he's being unusually "talkative" towards her, she decided to take advantage of the situation.

"So…" She paused before continuing, "You seem quite unruffled by the fact that you're currently stuck in the library."

Again, she didn't receive any reply.

Still, she tried to make small talk with him. Stretching her arms over her head to relieve the tension between her shoulder blades, she then asked, "What do you think the time is?"

She huffed, blowing her bangs off her forehead. "You know what, you're partly responsible for getting us locked up here. I mean, if you only agreed earlier to do the interview, we wouldn't be here in the first place. And by the way, when you got here, why didn't you wake me up?"

Snapping her fingers, she answered her own question. "Ah! I know why. You got envious and decided to also take a nap."

She went on, undeterred by his lack of response. "You know, you're the first person I've met who could sleep anywhere at any time of the day. Sleeping while riding his bike, sleeping during school hours, and even dozing off while walking to class. Now, that is indeed a rare talent." Mizuki said in a goading manner, trying to elicit some sort of response from him.

"You're too noisy." He said, sitting down a few feet away from her.

A smirk crept over her lips when he finally answered back.

"You're too noisy." She repeated, mimicking his deep voice.

A laugh bubbled from within her when she heard his annoyed grunt. Picturing the scowl on his face, she decided to tick him off even more. "Awww…I'm sorry. I forgot that it is way past your bedtime now. How inconsiderate of me to disturb your beauty sleep."

"You definitely needed one," was Rukawa's reply.

Mizuki gaped at him. "Excuse me?" She crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "I may not be a great beauty, but I do have my fair share of admirers back in my hometown."

He simply snorted in response to her earth-shattering revelation.

She stuck out her tongue at him like a petulant child. She certainly didn't like him talking now. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she then wrapped her arms around her legs and hid her face, fully intent on not speaking to him.

The thunder gradually died away but the rain continued to pour, although not as heavy unlike before.

Then amidst a dead silence, something totally unexpected occurred.

The unmistakable sound of a stomach growling erupted through the room, piercing the quietness.

At first, Mizuki was too shocked to react. But her initial surprise quickly turned into laughter. She tried to stifle her laugh by clamping a hand over her mouth, but it was a hopeless attempt. She burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, slapping her knee in apparent mirth.

"What was that? Was that your stomach growling or the rumbling of thunder?" She asked between chuckles. "Or was that an airplane passing by?"

Her cheeks hurt from laughing so much. _'Oh boy, how I wish I could see his reaction. The look on his face must have been priceless!'_ She thought amusingly. She wiped her eyes dry with the edge of her sleeve.

"Are you done laughing?" He asked her when she managed to subdue her hysterical fits.

After letting out a sigh of contentment, she nodded. "That felt good." Having a good laugh, at his expense, surely helped relieve her anxiety.

Taking pity on him, she fished something out of her pocket. "Here."

She blindly shoved the small item to him. When he refused to take whatever she's offering, she repeatedly taps him on the shoulder with it.

"Just take it, okay? Why are you being so difficult?"

Rukawa grunted in annoyance before grabbing the packet from her hands.

He tears it open and was just about to pop one into his mouth when she suddenly slaps him on the shoulder.

"Wait!" She blurted out. "Do you have any food allergies? Because if you are allergic to peanuts, I can't let you eat those chocolates. I don't want to be held responsible if anything happen to you. Your fans club will skin me alive when they discovered your pretty face got all bloated up because of me."

"No." He replied before scooping a handful of m&m's and popping them into his mouth. The sound of crunching resonated through the otherwise still library.

"Good." She said with a sigh. "You don't want to end up like Mito."

Mizuki then recounted to him the events that occurred at the clinic, while Rukawa busied himself eating. She didn't know what compelled her to tell him about the 'muffin' incident. Maybe because she had kept it all bottled up inside for days, and she just needed to spill them out to someone.

But she never thought that person would turn out to be Rukawa. In a way, she felt relieved that it was him who got to listen to her incessant rambling. Somehow, she knew he wouldn't judge her for overreacting to her cousin's behavior. In fact, she realized that he was the most suitable person to tell secrets to; partly because she wasn't even sure if he was listening at all, but mostly because he seldom talks. Still, that didn't matter to her for she just wanted to talk it out.

She closed her eyes and rested her cheek on her knees. She wondered if the gang had already formed a search party for her. A smile formed on her lips. Imagine their surprise when they discovered where she was and who she was with. Hanamichi, without a doubt, will go berserk and will start throwing accusations at her for conniving with the enemy. Mito will surely get on the role of the overprotective cousin and will quickly transform into his gangster demeanor. The three remaining guys probably made bets against each other on whether she will acquire the momiji bug, and will start collecting their winnings to the losing party.

The smile faded from her face. She silently hoped that they're too busy to notice that she's currently missing. She wished that her aunt and uncle are not yet home so they wouldn't worry about her whereabouts.

Opening her eyes, her thoughts then shifted to Rukawa. His parents must be also looking for him. She couldn't help but feel a bit envious of this fact.

"I'm sure your parents are feeling extremely anxious right now." She says softly, her index finger idly tracing invisible doodles on the floor.

The crunching noise suddenly stopped. She thought he was going to say something, but after a moments silence, he resumed eating.

Mizuki's investigative reporter's instinct instantly kicked in. Something was up. She considers comprehending something immediately as one of her journalistic side's key traits, although Mito would likely to argue that it was just her nature to stick her nose into other people's business.

Before she could fully immerse herself into reporter mode, she heard whistling coming from the corridor.

"Did you hear that?" She asked, bolting upright in her seat. She pressed her ears against the door. Hope bloomed in her chest when she heard the sound more distinctly. Apparently, they were not alone in the school building.

Wasting no time, she quickly stood up and began pounding on the door.

"Help!" She shouted. "Please open the door for us!"

She stopped and pressed her ears against the door again to listen. There was no reply. Had she been hearing things?

She decided to try again and pounded on the door with all her might, yelling for help. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally heard a response.

"Who's there?" Inquired a croaky voice from the other side of the room.

A wave of relief flooded over Mizuki. "Oh, Thank God! Please, Mister, help us. We're trapped inside the library!"

The doorknob rattled as the man tried to open it. She heard the man muttered some profanity. It seems that he was having difficulty finding the right key.

"I'm having trouble with all these darn keys." The man grunted in disgust.

At long last, the door swung open and the beam from the man's flashlight pointed directly at Mizuki. The sudden glare blinded her and she raised a hand to cover her eyes.

The man scanned the room with his flashlight, taking notice of Rukawa's presence.

She could not see the man holding it, but Mizuki guessed he was the school's watchman. The older man stood silent for a moment, and looked keenly at the two students before asking, "What are you lads doing here?" He directed his question more at Rukawa.

Knowing the watchman wouldn't get any reply from Rukawa, Mizuki answered the former's query. "Well…You see, as incredulous as it may sound, we fell asleep and woke up to find ourselves locked up in the library."

Once again, the watchman shone his flashlight directly into her face, as if scrutinizing her.

"Uh-huh." He deadpanned. "You expect me to believe that?"

"That's the truth." She insisted.

The watchman gave a raspy laugh. "Look kid, I wasn't born yesterday. In those ten years that I've been assigned as watchman of this school, I've encountered students engaged in all sorts of mischief."

"Eh?!" Mizuki sputters, a blush staining her cheeks at his insinuation. "We just fell asleep. Nothing else happened."

"Are you sure there's no hanky-panky that occurred with this guy?" The watchman asked in a teasing tone, as he focuses the beam of the flashlight on the bored faced of Rukawa.

Mizuki gritted her teeth, annoyed and embarrassed at the same time.

"Thank you for helping us." She managed to say after her internal struggle to keep her temper in check. Upon expressing her thanks, she immediately exited the room. Unfortunately for her, the power was still out so she had no choice but to stick around with the old man and ignore her urge to escape.

She heard the jiggling of keys as the watchman locked the door of the library. Recognizing the tall silhouette of Rukawa in the pale light, she discreetly moved closer to him, wanting to be as far away from the creepy old man as much as possible. The three of them began to walk along the empty corridor. The watchman led the way with his flashlight illuminating their path.

"I must say I'm extremely relieved to have you lads here to keep me company." The watchman stated. "I thought that my poor ears were playing tricks on me when I heard someone shouting for help."

Mizuki copied Rukawa and refrained from talking. She wished that the man would walk faster and stop acting as if he was taking a stroll in the park.

"And let me tell you, this is not the first time that I heard someone screaming for help during my night patrolling of the school grounds. It was during my third day of working as a watchman that I encountered something…"

There was a long pause.

All of a sudden, the watchman turned around and faced them, holding the flashlight beneath his chin, illuminating his acne-scarred face as he uttered in a low, spine-chilling tone, "….paranormal." He grinned widely, showing a missing front tooth.

Mizuki let out a loud shriek that echoed through the hallway. She would have fallen to the ground, if Rukawa had not caught her in his arms.

She immediately composed herself and mumbled her thanks to Rukawa.

"Please, don't scare me like that." She pleaded, placing her palm over her rapidly beating heart. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

The watchman chuckled at her reaction and lowered his flashlight. "I haven't even told you the scary parts yet."

"I'm not really interested in hearing them."

"Oh, you should be. Because that one happened in the library."

A gust of wind came through one of the open windows, making her shiver. Goosebumps prickled her skin, and she rubbed her arms to warm them.

She drew a deep breath as she said. "Can we just get out of here and go home already?"

Again, the watchman let out a throaty laugh. "No worries, you'll be able to get home soon, once it stopped raining."

Mizuki was about to open her mouth to argue but the watchman cut her off. "So! Where were we?"

"Ah, yes, the library!" The old man announced with great enthusiasm. "I was walking along the corridor one night, when I heard someone crying. It sounded like a girl sobbing."

 _'_ _La, la, la...'_ Mizuki began singing a tune in her head to distract herself. But as much as she tries, she couldn't block out the creepy sound of the watchman's voice.

"Frankly, it terrified the hell out of me. But I told myself to be brave-"

Mizuki shot a glance at Rukawa to check his reaction. And she wished she didn't bother.

The guy is freaking yawning.

What else is new?

Having no other options, she leaned in and whispered to her tight-lipped companion. "Can't you make him stop?"

Rukawa turned to look at her. He shrugged as if to say he doesn't care and quickly looks away.

His indifference set her temper flaring.

She stepped closer to him and gripped his forearm. His brows shot up in surprise at this unexpected and bold move on her part.

"I gave you food when you're stomach's growling like it's not fed for weeks." She reminded him. "You owe me, bigtime. And now it's your turn to return the favor."

Rukawa looked down at the tiny hand holding his arm, and back to her scowling face. He glared at her, silently asking her to remove her hands but rooftop girl didn't even flinch from his withering stare. Instead, she gripped his arm more tightly.

Running a hand through his jet black hair, Rukawa let out a sigh of defeat. He can't believe that this slip of a girl had managed to defeat his infamous death glare. He must be losing his touch.

"-I pushed the door open, and search for the light switch. When my hands finally located them, I almost peed on my pants when I felt somebody else's hand on the switch -" The watchman stopped his storytelling when Rukawa suddenly appeared beside him. "- yes, young man?"

Rukawa plainly pointed to the payphone nearby and held out his hand to take the flashlight from the old man.

The watchman could not help but feel intimidated by the student towering over him. He wordlessly handed the flashlight to him.

Not wanting to be left behind, Mizuki turned her head to the old man and announced that she too wanted to make a phone call.

"Ah, yes. Of course, go ahead." The watchman says, in spite of himself.

She hurriedly went after Rukawa, eager to get away, even for a short distance. Fortunately for her, the watchman didn't make any attempt to follow them. He remained standing in the middle of the corridor, jiggling the keys in his hand and whistling at the same time.

She stood a few steps from Rukawa, far enough to give him privacy. Also, she didn't want to be called out a coward by behaving like a little girl who's always clinging to her mother's skirt. She fixed her eyes on him, not daring to let her eyes wander around the darkened corridor, as her overly vivid imagination will likely get her into trouble.

 _'_ _Wait…Was it her imagination or did something moved in the shadows?'_

 _'_ _Stop being paranoid. Stop. Stop.'_ Mizuki mentally chanted to herself.

Rukawa's low voice broke off her train of thoughts. She couldn't help but listen to him talk as the corridor was eerily quiet except for the watchman's nonstop whistling.

Oddly enough, she likes the sound of Rukawa's voice. She found her eyes straying of their own accord on his face, half illuminated by the flashlight. She definitely likes the way he looks. She stood there watching him, silently appreciating his fine features, when he suddenly turned to look at her. She quickly averted her gaze, and stared down at her shoes.

"Yeah. She's from my class." She heard him say on the phone.

"She's not." He continued in a slightly irritated tone after a short pause.

Mizuki glanced back up at him, her expression perplexed. _'Is he talking about her?'_

A few seconds later, he hangs up the phone. She waited for him to give her the flashlight so she can make her phone call, but strangely, he remained standing near the payphone.

She was about to ask if he's going to make another call when the beam from his flashlight hit her squarely in the face.

"What the - hey!" She yelled, shielding her eyes from the glare. "Stop shining that thing in my face!"

When he ignored her protests, she stormed towards him. "Cut it out, will you?!" She demanded as she lunged forward, trying to grab the flashlight from him. But he anticipated her move and lifted the object high above his head, knowing fully well she couldn't reach it.

She stomped her foot angrily, the glare from the flashlight still aimed at her scowling face. "You are so immature!" She complained. "Can you move, please? I need to make a phone call."

He moved a little away from her, and shifted the light towards the payphone keypad. She stood still, unsure of what to do. Honestly, she didn't expect this kind of behavior from him.

She huffed, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. Having no energy left to argue with him, she reached into her purse to take some coins and then insert them into the slot.

Standing so close to him, she began to feel utterly self-conscious. She hoped she didn't dial the wrong phone number, because if she did, she would die of humiliation.

A woman's voice answered on the second ring. _"Hello?Yohei Residence."_

"Auntie, it's me." Mizuki whispered softly.

Silence, then all hell breaks loose.

Mizuki pulled the receiver away from her ear and winced at her aunt's screaming. She didn't dare look at Rukawa to see his reaction. And she was quite sure that even the watchman could hear her aunt's loud tirade.

She now wished she had dialed the wrong number. This is so much more embarrassing. _'Let the ground open and swallow me now, please.'_

Her aunt managed to finally calm down when she told her that she's at school, deliberately deleting the part where she got locked up inside the library. With a boy.

After convincing her aunt that there's absolutely nothing to worry about, they bid their goodbyes.

Mizuki exhaled a deep sigh of relief, glad that the conversation was over. But her relief was only momentary.

She lifted her head to look at Rukawa warily, meeting his gaze. His face remained stoic but his eyes held a glint of amusement. She narrowed her eyes at him and pointed a threatening finger at him. "Not a word."

He briefly shone the flashlight to her face and then began to walk away, knowing she would follow.

Rukawa handed back the flashlight to the watchman, much to Mizuki's dismay.

"Her guardian was quite a dragon lady." The watchman declared, clearly amused. "Goodluck with that, boy!" He laughed boisterously and smacks Rukawa's shoulder.

She scowled at him but chose to remain silent.

After a long torturous walk; to which she was forced to listen to the horrifying fate of the girl who was locked up in the library, they finally reached the student's lockers.

She hastily retrieved her stuff and went directly to the exit. A burst of cool wind and sprinkle of rain greeted her as she pushed the door open.

She came to a halt at the edge of the covered area, chastising herself for forgetting her umbrella at home. She mentally calculated the distance from the building to the bus stop, and deliberated whether she should break into a run through the pouring rain.

"Getting soaked by the rain? Not the brightest of ideas." The watchman's raspy voice interrupted her musings. "I'm sure your aunt would get very mad if you come home looking like a drowned rat." He let out a loud tsk of disapproval.

"I wouldn't get soaked if you'd just let me borrow your umbrella."

He contemplated for a moment, before replying, "Maybe later."

Noticing the frustrated look on her face, the watchman gives his explanation. "The next bus will arrive at 9:30, and it's only" – he glanced at his watch to check the time - "9:05. Why not wait here for a few more minutes and have a chat with the poor old man?"

Mizuki was shocked to discover just how late it was. She couldn't believe she had slept that long.

"Shall I tell you a story again? You know, just to pass time as -"

"I'm sorry but I think I'd rather wait in the bus stop." She cut him off brusquely, ignoring propriety.

"I see." A trace of disappointment crossed the watchman's face, but he quickly recovered. Then, he pointed to Rukawa, who was leaning comfortably against the wall and staring into space, with his duffel bag hanging off his shoulder. "What about your boyfriend?"

The watchman guffawed at her bug-eyed expression, before slyly adding, "Sharing an umbrella? How romantic."

She made frantic movements with her arms as she explained to him the reason why they're in the library in the first place and repeatedly declared that he's not her boyfriend.

But the watchman ignored her and continues tormenting her. "I understand. After all, being alone in the bus stop at this hour is quite risky and" – he said in a low, scary voice, - "terrifying."

Mizuki rubbed her face roughly, struggling to contain her exasperation.

Does she have a freaking 'Please annoy me' signboard strapped on her back? Everybody seems hell bent on ruining her day.

"They say that this scary creature lurks in the bus stop. They say the woman was waiting in the bus stop when she was suddenly -"

The sound of an approaching car halted his storytelling and Mizuki silently thank her lucky stars for the interference.

Squinting, she raised her hand to block the headlights. The car stopped in front of them, and the watchman let out a low whistle of appreciation as he eyed the sleek, black Mercedes-Benz.

An elderly man who was in his late 50's or early 60's stepped out from the driver's seat, holding a black umbrella over his head and a spare one in his left hand. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Rukawa move forward and halted a few paces from her.

The elderly man, wearing knitted sweater under a checkered tweed jacket, approached them and bowed in greeting, to which they politely returned.

Mizuki wondered who he was.

To her surprise, the gray haired man gives him a kind smile, and motions towards the car.

"Eh?!" was Mizuki's intelligent reply.

What bewildered her even more was when Rukawa passed her by and muttered, "Get in." He didn't bother waiting for her reply. After giving a polite bow to the watchman, he walked the short distance to the car under the pouring rain, ignoring the elderly man's request for him to take the extra umbrella. Mizuki's eyes widened when he heard him call Rukawa 'young master'.

The elderly man threw Rukawa a reproachful glance before turning his attention to Mizuki and giving her an apologetic smile.

"Shall we go?" He said, holding his umbrella over her head.

She looked up at him, dumbfounded. "Er - go where? Sorry, but I'm not sure what's goin - "

"For pete's sake!" The watchman abruptly exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "How dense can you be? The guy has offered to take you home."

Mizuki turned to look at the watchman and then back at the elderly man.

Comprehension dawned on her, followed by embarrassment. "Oh!" She said, feeling the warmth of blush rise in her cheeks. "You don't have to do that. Really. I can just take the bus, thank – "

Once again, the watchman rudely cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Nonsense! Just get in the car. It's disrespectful to turn down such a generous offer."

"Go on; don't keep your boyfriend waiting." Mizuki frowned at him, but the watchman grinned even wider, showing his missing tooth.

The elderly man stepped out into the porch and patiently waited for her to join him beneath the umbrella.

She sighed in resignation and then tentatively walked towards the kindly old man.

Giving the watchman a curt bow, she then went inside the car.

The ride back to her home was silent, except for the occasional polite inquiries made by the elderly man.

Mizuki glanced sideways at Rukawa, expecting him to be dozing off right now. But to her immense shock, she found him awake and gazing out the passenger window.

This made things more awkward for her. She started fidgeting on her seat, racking her brain for something to say. It would be more comfortable for her if he would just remain sleeping the entire duration of the ride. That way, she wouldn't feel obligated to speak.

But she knew she had to say something.

"Listen, regarding your bike," She hesitated, twisting her fingers in her lap. "Sorry about that…I promise to return it to your designated parking slot first thing in the morning."

Relief flooded her as she saw him nod in assent from her peripheral vision. At least he wasn't that angry at her for stealing his bike.

But now, she realized her chances of getting an interview with him were slim to none.

She gazed quietly at the window as they drove down the familiar streets.

"Should I turn left or right, little Miss?" The elderly man asked.

"Left, please."

By the time they reached the five-story apartment building, the rain had turned into a light drizzle. The car pulled into the covered driveway and stopped.

Mizuki bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you very much for the ride home, kind sir."

"You're very much welcome, little Miss."

She then turned to Rukawa. "Thank you for today, Rukawa- kun." She says softly, her head still bowed.

As she reached for the door handle, she heard him mutter something.

She paused to look back at him. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. What did you say?"

Rukawa cleared his throat, looking very uncomfortable. "Friday after practice."

She stared at him like he's some creature from outer space. Her brow furrowed deeply as if she was trying to decipher some secret code.

"The interview." He said gruffly, running a hand through his ebony hair,

He watched as her face morphed from confusion to disbelief to one of extreme happiness. A bright smile lit up her face, leaving him momentarily dazed.

"Do you really mean that?" She was bouncing on her seat, unable to contain her excitement. "Oh, thank you, thank you, Rukawa-kun."

"I promise to give my very best on this article." She said, smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. "Oh, and I promise to be nicer to you, you know, not call you stoneface, iceman behind your ba -" She faltered under his glare.

"Um, okay. Shutting up now."

The elderly man's laugh broke the tension between them.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then." She said, suddenly shy.

"Yeah." His voice was low and oddly gentle.

She hastily climbed out of the car, before he could see the blush that she was sure was spreading like fire across her face.

She keeps her head bowed as she waited for the car to leave. She only managed to look up when the sound of the car slowly faded into the distance.

She remained standing in the pavement, even as the car disappeared from her sight. She stood there, lost in her thoughts with her heart fluttering wildly.

Raising her hand to her chest, she whispered to herself. "Be still, my heart."

* * *

 **A/N:** Whew! That was quite a long chapter! So, what do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Or it's too mushy for you. (FYI, I'm certainly the hopeless romantic type =P) Kindly leave a review! Until next time! (=^_^=)


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Victorious Hurrah

The day of the Kanagawa Tournament had finally arrived. For Shohoku's first match, they will go up against Yokosuka High.

The lone female in the group, Ayako, was standing near the entrance to the locker room, busily occupied with the roster sheets for both teams. A satisfied smile curved her lips as she studies the list of players. Shohoku clearly has the height advantage over their opponent. Unless, all their players are like Ryota, who compensates for his lack of height with his agility and strategic skills during the game.

Her eyes roamed around the small room, observing the players. Ryota was animatedly discussing the game plan with a baby-faced freshman. Ayako looked down at the roster on her clipboard again to study the rookie's data.

Norishige Zenko. Height: 197 cm. Weight: 120 kg. Position: Center.

His towering height will definitely bring a positive impact to their team. With Akagi and Mitsui gone, they needed to keep their spirits up if they want to pursue their dream of bringing Shohoku to the National Championship.

Although, in the case of Sakuragi, it seems that he didn't need any morale boosting. The redhead was his usual self, bursting with energy and enthusiasm as he joked around with his teammates; that notorious laughter of his echoing throughout the small room. For someone who just got injured, he didn't seem scared or the least bit nervous to be back in the court. Ayako had to admit that she was quite impressed. He is, after all, known for his intense competitive drive. They had all witnessed his unrelenting tenacity during the Sannoh match, where he continued to help lead the team to victory despite suffering from an injury.

 _'_ _He truly has come a long way.'_ Ayako thought. Last year, he was just a newbie, totally clueless when it comes to basketball, and had the tendency to foul out of every game. However, he quickly learned the basics and under Akagi's tutelage, he soon revealed himself to be a formidable rebounder. Not to mention that it was Coach Anzai who personally assists him in developing his jump shots, by instructing Sakuragi to make 20,000 shots in a week. And all that hard work has certainly paid off.

Ayako's eyes then wandered to Rukawa, who's sitting quietly on the bench, lost in his own thoughts. Considered the key player of Shohoku and one of the best in Kanagawa region, Rukawa's incredible scoring ability and basketball skills land him a spot in the All-Japan basketball team. All in all, he was a great player; the only downside was his non-existent social skills. Rukawa's aloof and outwardly cold manner makes the other players, particularly the newbies, hesitant to approach him. Which is a shame because the new recruits could learn a lot from him, if only he appears more affable to them. With regards to his playing style, Ayako could see significant improvements. Before, he was criticized for being selfish in court, never wanting to pass the ball to his teammates. But when he was defeated by Sawakita, who is considered to be Japan's no. 1 high school player, Rukawa realized his flaw and begins to give assists. Ayako began reminiscing about the match they had with Sannoh. It was truly a memorable one. A smile lit up her face when she recalls such an unlikely display of kinship from the two sworn enemies. It was Rukawa who pass the ball to Sakuragi that enabled the latter to make the winning shot. Rukawa would never say it out loud, but Ayako can see that he consider Sakuragi a valuable player to their team.

"Dou ahou."

The smile on Ayako's lips immediately faded. Her mind was too occupied with the Sannoh match that she failed to notice that the two had already started their daily bickering.

Ayako could only sigh in frustration.

 _'_ _Old habits are sure hard to break.'_

xxxxx

Despite being a regular school day, the gymnasium was nearly full of spectators. Whereas before, the Shohoku basketball team was practically unheard of, now the audience were simultaneously chanting their name. After the Inter-high game, their team had gained significant fame, notably from their defeat of Sannoh, who was the defending national champion for three years. From there, they had managed to attract a number of followers where almost three fourths of them were from Rukawa's fans club who had increased hundredfold.

Even Sakuragi was experiencing a fresh burst of attention from the crowd, and he's enjoying every moment of it.

Standing at the center of the court, the redhead waved enthusiastically at the audience; acting as if he was having his own concert. "Nyahahaha! They've all come to witness this Tensai's explosive performance in court!"

"Nah! They've all come to watch you make a fool out of yourself!" yelled someone from the audience, who turned out to be Noma. The rest of the Sakuragi gang ditch their classes in order to watch him play. It is their buddy's first game after recovering from his injury and they wouldn't want to miss any opportunity of riling him up.

The redhead wasn't able to hear Noma's remark as he was forcefully dragged back by a fuming Ryota to their team's side of the court.

"Do your warm up, you idiot!" Ryota barked at him.

"Geez, no need to get jealous of this Tensai's popularity, Ryo-chin." He said good-naturedly before grabbing a ball from one of the freshmen.

Halfway through the warm up drills, the Rukawa fans club began cheering for their idol, to Sakuragi's utter annoyance.

"RUKAWA! RUKAWA! L-O-V-E RUKAWA!"

"Damn!Those girls are irritating!" Sakuragi complained loudly.

"They feel exactly the same way about you, Hanamichi!" Takamiya piped up from above him.

"Shuddup, you porkchop!" Glaring at his so-called friends, he pointed accusingly at them as he said, "Are you all here to support me or annoy the heck out of me?"

"Both, actually." Ohkusu replied.

"Stop fooling around and start cheering for me!" The redhead demanded. He then turned his attention to Rukawa and smugly said, "Listen, you arrogant bastard. This is what a true cheer sounds like!"

Sakuragi glanced at his friends and gave them a slight nod, motioning for them to begin.

At his signal, Mito took out two plastic bottles of soda - his cheering props and said, "Are you ready, boys?"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" The other three shouted, creating loud beating noises as they whacked the two plastic bottles on their hands.

Together, they chanted in perfect harmony.

Who's the king of the court with flaming red hair?!

SA-KU-RA-GI!

Athletic and handsome and genius is he!

SA-KU-RA-GI!

If basketball thrill be something you seek!

SA-KU-RA-GI!

Then join in the fun and make the slam dunk!

SA-KU-RA-GI!

Ready?

SA-KU-RA-GI!

SA-KU-RA-GI!

SA-KU-RA-GI!

Silence filled the auditorium except for the redhead's rambunctious laughter. Clearly, he was the only one who finds it entertaining.

The entire Shohoku basketball team sweatdropped and Ryota was unable to keep himself from shrinking with embarrassment.

"King of the court?" One of the players said in a questioning tone.

"More like king of all blunders." Rukawa mumbled as he dribbled the ball and continue with his practice.

Having super hearing powers when it comes to his rival, Sakuragi quickly approached the bane of his existence and mockingly said,"Che. You're just envious, Kitsune. Because your cheer sounds boring as hell. Just like you. Nyahaha!"

"Really?" Not even sparing Sakuragi a glance, Rukawa added, "Because yours sounds stupid. Just like you."

Knowing that a fight was about to transpire, Yasuda and the other senior players quickly intervened and stop Sakuragi from attacking Rukawa.

Ryota closes his eyes tightly and let out a tired sigh. Massaging his temples with his index finger, he asked, "When will these two stop their nonsense bickering?"

"When pigs learn to fly." One freshman answered.

"When frogs grow hair." Another commented.

"When chickens have tee-" Ryota gave the person speaking a death glare, effectively cutting his statement. He then jogged towards the third year players who were struggling to hold the fuming redhead in their arms.

"Alright, enough of that, Sakuragi. Game's about to start any minute now." Ryota informed him. Thankfully, Sakuragi mellowed down and didn't make any further protests.

"Ok, Huddle up, everyone." He announced afterwards.

The team assembled in a circle, and Shohoku's new captain gave his fellow players pointers in the game and some words of encouragement.

The referee blows his whistle, indicating the start of the game.

And as Ayako had predicted, Shohoku clearly had the advantage against their opponent. With scoring machine and ace player Rukawa, strategist and lightning flash Ryota, rebound king Sakuragi and the rookie 'babyface' Zenko, who had shown great potential during the game; Yokosuka had no chance against them, thus earning the Shohoku team their first victory for the preliminary game.

 **A/N:** Apologies for the late update. My little bundle of joy is taking away all my time and energy. In the next chapter, a fan favorite will make an appearance. Can you guess who he is?

And by the way, if you want to join in cheering Sakuragi, just sing to the tune of Spongebob Squarepant's opening music.=D Till next time!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Here's a long chapter to make up for the previous short one.

Very much appreciated all your reviews! Muito Obrigado!

* * *

Chapter 14: Armistice

The Shohoku team was in high spirits as they exited the stadium, basking in the afterglow of winning their first match. The players were chatting amiably, fervently discussing what transpired at today's game.

Third year student Yasuda, paused his conversation with one of the freshmen, and looked around, realizing that something was amiss. Amidst all the excitement- the loud, obnoxious voice of a certain redhead seems to be missing.

It dawned on him that he hasn't heard the redhead make any announcement of how his excellent performance during the game paved the way for their team's victory. He never passed an opportunity to brag about how much of a genius he is. Yasuda's eyes found Sakuragi, whose standing still and staring into space while wearing a stupid grin on his face. After a while, Yasuda shook his head and resumes his conversation, knowing very well that Sakuragi was not one to remain silent for long.

xxxxx

 _'This must be what heaven feels like.'_

Sakuragi was on cloud nine. He felt like he was floating on air. His cheeks hurt from grinning too much but he found that he didn't give a damn. He was blissfully happy.

And why wouldn't he? He did great in the game.

 _'No'_ , he pondered, shaking his head in disagreement. ' _The word great is not enough to describe my performance. I was fantastic, magnificent,awesome…'_ He then filled his thoughts with a myriad of compliments meant solely for him. _'…impressive,impemcable -er, impaca – er, what's that word again?... Ah never mind, I am definitely a genius!'_

A hand on his shoulder broke his reverie. Sakuragi turned around and came face to face with a smirking Ohkusu. "You sure are one lucky guy, Hanamichi." His blonde-haired friend informed him. Before he can demand an explanation from Ohkusu, Takamiya suddenly butted in.

"Totally!" The portly guy exclaimed, "What are the odds that you, my friend, will not get a single foul from the game? Can you believe that?"

Noma joined in the teasing, raising both hands heavenwards. "For once, fate was working in your favour."

Sakuragi's elation quickly turned to indignation. How dare these commoners make fun of the Tensai? Those who attempt to ridicule him ended up with a beating of their lifetime.

And that's how the three find themselves soaring to the sky with their mangled faces after receiving a deadly kick from the fiery redhead.

Mito, who wisely kept his mouth shut merely shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"Good riddance!" Sakuragi announced while dusting off his hands.

The first year players, who were still getting familiarize with the redhead's antics, gaped at him with their mouths hanging open.

"Ah, It's such a shame Haruko-chan was unable to witness my spectacular, jaw dropping basketball moves during the game."

"Not to worry, Sakuragi-kun. I've recorded today's game." Fellow sophomore Kentaro Iishi informed him. He never got a chance to play in a real game from the previous year, but for today's match with Yokosuka, Coach Anzai decided to include him. Even though he was called in during the latter part of the game, Iishi was still grateful for the experience.

Upon hearing this vital piece of information, a huge smile broke across Sakuragi's face."Really, Megane-kun? Why didn't you say so before?" He darted towards the bespectacled player to grab the camcorder from him.

Not long after, Ayako together with Ryota, exited the stadium. Clad in white shirt and jeans and wearing her cap backwards, (as always) Ayako praised the team for their brilliant performance.

"Nyahaha! As long as genius Hanamichi Sakuragi is here, we're going to be victorious!"

"He thinks he's so great." Rukawa muttered from the sidelines.

Glaring at his arch enemy, the redhead mockingly asked him, "By the way, how did the winter tournament go? Ya know, the one where you went without this genius' talent and skills?"

Rukawa scowled back at him, extremely pissed off to be reminded again of their failure to claim the winter cup.

Sensing the tension, Ayako quickly interfered. "Hey! You two! No fighting, okay? We just had our first taste of victory. And this day calls for a celebration. Don't you agree, boys?"

The players around her shouted agreement.

"Here's the good news. Coach Anzai was feeling exceptionally generous so he decided to shoulder the expenses for today's dinner. Yay! Isn't it fantastic?" Ayako said, excitedly moving her arms around.

Cheers erupted from the team, thrilled beyond measure at the prospect of free food.

"Did anyone say free food?" Takamiya asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

Before Sakuragi could beat the gluttonous Takamiya again, Mito grabbed the latter roughly by the arm and began dragging him away from the group. They couldn't hear what Mito was saying as his voice was drowned out by the portly guy's loud protests.

As soon as the two were out of sight, Ayako turned her attention back to the group. "So, what do you guys like for dinner?"

She belatedly realized that asking that particular question was not a really good idea. All at once, the players started arguing – well, it was mostly Sakuragi and Ryota with Rukawa adding insults every so often to the redhead's choice of food.

They were busy arguing among each other when Ryonan's players arrived at the scene.

"Darn! We miss the game!" Hikoichi Aida's high-pitched voice interrupted the trio's petty squabble.

Upon seeing their rival's team, Sakuragi and Rukawa immediately went into defensive stance. Narrowing his eyes, Sakuragi threw a menacing glare at them – directed mostly to Ryonan's ace player, Sendoh Akira.

The redhead stepped towards them, crossing his arms over his chest. "What is Ryonan doing here? Have you come to spy on this Tensai?"

"Spy on you? You make me laugh." said Ryonan's assistant captain, Hiroaki Koshino, who was obviously miffed at Sakuragi's arrogant claim.

"Yep. He's the court jester, alright!" Noma gushed as he landed on Sakuragi's head after his not so brief exploration of the Kanagawa skies.

"Get the hell out of here!" Sakuragi bellowed as he kicked him, sending Noma flying back to the azure sky.

Sendoh let out a low whistle at the redhead's display of strength. "I see you're back in good shape, Sakuragi."

The spiky haired boy's remark had Sakuragi's ears perking up. "Of course, pineapple head! No injury could stop me from beating your scrawny butt."

Sendoh simply laughed at his comment. "I'm glad to see you still have your sense of humor after rehab."

"There is no cure to his delusions." Rukawa interjected, much to Sakuragi's ire.

"Guys, please." Ayako pleaded. "Can we go for just a few hours without you two at each other's throats?"

Noticing her exasperation, Ryota came to her rescue at once. "Enough of that, you two. We're supposed to be chilling. Don't ruin the team's celebratory mood."

"Oh, so you won against Yokosuka?"

Ryota nodded his head at Hikoichi's query.

The smaller boy shook his head in disappointment. "Darn it, I really want to see Sakuragi-kun play again after his injury."

"There's really nothing to see."

"Shut up, you stinky fox!"

Ryota sigh in defeat. Those two are just hopeless. Trying to act nonchalant, he turned to Sendoh to inquire on their match against Takezato. It came really as a no surprise to him to learn that Ryonan came out as the victor, especially with a brilliant player like Sendoh on their side.

"The team are also going to dine out to celebrate our very first winning." Ryota heard Hikoichi said to Ayako.

"Oh really? Where are you guys planning to have your celebration?"

"Actually, we were thinking of going to Captain Uozumi's restaurant. Have you heard, he's a chef now, and he's really pretty good at making sushi and stuff."

"That's good to hear." Ayako responded amiably.

"Why don't you join us?" Hikoichi then asked out of the blue.

"What?!" A dozen voices cried out in unison.

"Are you mental?" Koshino sputtered, shaking the younger boy by the shoulders. But Ayako's response had him questioning her sanity.

"Why not? I think it's a nice idea. Despite our school being opponents in the basketball court, Ryonan had assisted Shohoku during the match against Kainan. And I've always regarded Ryonan as a friendly rival." Ayako stated, causing several shocked faces from both teams.

"What do you think, Miyagi?"

As soon as they heard Ayako questioned their captain using that sickeningly sweet voice of hers, the Shohoku team immediately knew it was a lost cause. He was terribly putty in her hands.

"I'm craving for some sushi." Ryota answered dazedly.

Ayako turned to look at Sendoh."What say you, Ryonan's Captain?"

A slow smile appeared on his face.

"Considered this a truce then. An armistice of sort."

xxxxx

Mizuki gritted her teeth in frustration, her patience wearing thin. She couldn't count the number of times she had tumbled into an ungraceful heap on the floor because of some hyperactive kids who enjoys pushing her so they could watch her lose her balance. Giggles erupted once again as she flails her arms and legs helplessly, unable to pull herself up. Under other circumstances, she wouldn't hesitate to use force in order to teach these young punks better manners, but right now, her current predicament had prevented her from doing so. Wearing a mammoth size onigiri mascot head weighing 20 pounds is such a physically demanding task, not to mention that it's messing with her already poor coordination.

She should have bolted out the door the moment her boss' son suggested the mascot idea. He said that it would surely attract more patrons if there is an adorable mascot guarding the restaurant's entryway. She did not fail to notice the evil glint in his eyes and knew right away what fate awaited her.

Ten minutes later, Mizuki found herself wobbling outside the restaurant, donning a ridiculous looking and humongous triangular shape onigiri on her head. Her monkey of a boss even had the gall to advise her not to remove the costume as she looks much better on it. She bit back the retort that he should be the one wearing it as she was certain that it was _his_ menacing looks that drives away customers.

Finally back up on her feet after a lengthy struggle with the hefty costume, Mizuki felt her temper rising and a furious growl emanated from her throat. She was seconds away from throwing the damn thing off her head onto the ground when she heard the unmistakable sound of Sakuragi's booming laugh.

She stood motionless, surprised at his unexpected arrival _. 'What is he doing here? I thought he's going to play pachinko with the gang after the game.'_ Quickly assuming that her cousin Mito is with him, panic gripped her and she looked around for a place to hide.

Initially, her uncle opposed to her having a part time job, explaining that she should just focus on her studies. She insists that she wants to help with the finances and her aunt, reading what's on her mind, gently assures her that she's not a burden to the family. But still, she kept on pleading with them, until her uncle finally relented.

She didn't exactly keep her part time job a secret from the gang, but she didn't make any attempt to inform them either. Her job at the restaurant had just started a few days ago and she wanted some peace and quiet while she's at work. Knowing them, they would probably barge into the restaurant the moment they discovered her whereabouts. They simply enjoy disturbing her, and she doesn't want to get distracted by them so she continued to be mum about the subject. Heaven knows she's got a lot of things on her mind these days.

She knew that they will eventually found out but she didn't expect it to happen sooner, especially now that things were still awkward between her and Mito. And it just have to happened today of all days - when she have to play the essential role of the delectable onigiri.

Dang. She hated being caught unprepared.

The voices were getting closer now, but Mizuki remained frozen on the spot, uncertain what to do. But then, she remembered that she didn't have to hide from them, since they would certainly not recognize her beneath the hideous attire she had no choice but to wear. All she had to do was carry on with what she was doing - portraying the appearance of an adorable mascot.

And getting pushed around by several hyperactive kids.

Mizuki let out a yelp as the ground gave way under her feet, sending her tumbling backward once again.

Her plan to go unnoticed instantly went out the window, as she only managed to draw more attention to herself. The kids surrounding her laughed loudly, immensely enjoying their little game of who gets to knock down the mascot.

"OI! What do you little punks think you are doing?!" Sakuragi's deafening voice immediately ceased their laughter.

Despite herself, Mizuki smiled. Contrary to popular opinion, Sakuragi actually have a big heart. He may act brash and uncouth, but he doesn't tolerate ill-treatment and abuse on defenseless individuals.

Mizuki remained lying on the ground, staring at the clouds above her as she listened to Sakuragi reprimanding the little rascals.

Just then, a shadow fell over her, obstructing her view.

"Hey. Are you ok in there?" said the shadowed figure.

Mizuki watched through her costume's peep hole as a tall guy with spiky hair offered his hand to help her up.

"Whoah! What is this stuff made of? Weighs like a ton!" The spiky haired boy joked as he struggles to lift her amidst her bulky costume.

"Here, lemme help you, Sendoh-Senpai" An overly eager voice chimed in.

"Thanks, Hikoichi." Together, they raised her up and set her back on her feet.

Grateful for their assistance, Mizuki expressed her thanks by a slight bow and a single hand in front. She repeated the gestures as she waited for them to leave, thinking that they were only passing by.

To her disappointment, the two guys decided to stick around for a chat.

"Oh man, that was a nasty fall. Are you sure you're not hurt?" Mizuki felt her cheeks burned with more than embarrassment as she stared at the guy named Sendoh. _"What an eye candy,"_ was her thought as she finally got a good look at him. Her initial dislike to her costume turned to gratitude as it allowed her to conceal her reactions, mainly from gawking unabashedly at mister nice guy standing in front of her.

Realizing that he was waiting for her response, she nodded her head vigorously and made a thumb up sign. Sendoh flashed her a smile that left her dazed.

"You idiot!"

Boss monkey's booming voice broke her out of her stupor. For a second, Mizuki thought that his wrath was aimed towards her, but when he moved past her, she instantly identifies the person to whom his fury was directed. She wobbled after her boss, trying to prevent the bloodbath that would likely occur knowing that both men had such a fiery temper. Her steps faltered when she heard Boss monkey called out Sakuragi's name.

 _'Wait. They knew each other?'_ She silently wondered.

Jun Uozumi, the captain of the Ryonan High School basketball team turned chef, was busy working in the kitchen when one of his staff nervously informed him that there was a commotion outside. Pissed that some troublemaker dares to disturb him while he's currently engrossed with his sushi making, he quickly went outside to investigate. And he cannot believe his eyes when he saw a tall guy with red hair terrorizing some kid.

 _'What the heck?!'_

Uozumi only knew of one person with red hair.

He hasn't seen Sakuragi since the game with Kainan, and it seems that the redhead hasn't changed at all - he's still a hot headed nuisance.

"You idiot!" He bellowed.

With smoke coming out from his ears, Uozumi quickly ran towards the redheaded buffoon and grabbed him by the back of his collar and hurl him to the ground.

"Why don't you pick someone with your own size?" Uozumi barked as he glared down at Sakuragi who's currently sprawled on the pavement.

Not anticipating an attack, Sakuragi fell face first. Immediately, he saw red and felt his blood boiling. "Who dares attack this Tensai?!" He got up on his feet and swung his right fist onto his assailant's face. But unlike him, his 'attacker' anticipated his move and dodges his punch.

"Seriously? Is that the best you got?" Uozumi crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes taunting him.

Sakuragi was about to throw another right hook but his fist stopped mid-air when he recognized the person who's stupid enough to provoke him.

The redhead blinked numerous times before muttering, "King of the Apes?"

Uozumi's eyebrows began to twitch.

Sakuragi grinned, all the animosity dissipated. He reached over and repeatedly taps the older guy's shoulder. "Nice to see you again, Monkey King!"

At Sakuragi's remark, a cross popping vein appeared on Uozumi's forehead. Oblivious to the dark aura exuding from the latter, Sakuragi continue talking. "By the way, what's with the ensemble?" He asked, eyeing the taller guy from head to toe. The redhead let out a snicker before adding, "The color white doesn't suit you at all!"

Multiple tick marks pop up from the back of Uozumi's head.

Standing a few feet behind them, Mizuki sweat dropped. Dozens of vertical lines with dark shading appeared under her eyes, mortified beyond doubt at Sakuragi's lack of tact.

A sense of dread filled her as she cast a glance at her superior. She was sure the look on Uozumi's face was enough to give her nightmares for months.

But Sakuragi wasn't the least bit perturbed as he kept on talking. "Should I call you the Great White Monkey then? All Hail the – oomph!"

Not knowing what else to do, Mizuki rapidly approached him and clamped her large gloved hands over Sakuragi's mouth to prevent him from further aggravating Uozumi and to protect her friend from her boss' fury.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Sakuragi yelled, swatting the offending hands away from his face. Irritated that someone rudely interrupted him, he turned around to glare at the mascot. "I just saved your butt a while ago."

Mizuki held up both hands in a placating gesture. Having his attention diverted from Uozumi, Sakuragi failed to notice the dark atmosphere emanating from behind him. A furious growl was heard.

"SAKURAGI….."

"Eh?" was the redhead's reply when he heard his name. Slowly, he turned around and almost had a heart attack when he saw the enraged look on the ex-captain's face. Towering over him, Uozumi's face was filled with throbbing cross popping veins, his mouth contorted on a vicious scowl baring sharp jagged teeth.

Unconsciously, Sakuragi took a step back. He glanced at Sendoh and mumbled something about their Captain Monkey being possessed.

Before Uozumi could beat the tactless redhead to a pulp, Sendoh leapt into the scene and slung his right arm around his former team Captain's shoulder.

"Ah, Uozumi-senpai. I was just telling the guys of Shohoku what a great chef you've become. " Sendoh informed him with a lazy smile, nodding his head towards the direction of a group of people standing a few feet away.

 _'Did she just hear him mention Shohoku?'_ Mizuki thought incredulously. In spite of the cool spring weather, she found herself perspiring profusely beneath her oversize onigiri costume. It felt like she's been in a sauna for hours. Slowly, Mizuki turned around, and sure enough, almost the entire team of Shohoku basketball players were there, watching the ruckus before them with varied expressions.

Didn't she just mention earlier that she hated being caught unprepared?

 _'This can't be happening.'_ She sighed. She knew that there's no reason to be ashamed, but she can't help feeling self-conscious, well aware that Rukawa was one of the audience.

Ryonan's former captain, Jun Uozumi, was excessively distracted with Sakuragi that he failed to notice Sendoh and the rest of the players. The sudden presence of his former teammate completely caught him by surprise. When Sendoh's words finally registered in Uozumi's mind, he threw the spiky-haired boy an incredulous look as if to say, "Why are you fraternizing with the enemy?"

Sendoh simply grinned and shrugged. Stepping closer, Hikoichi took the initiative to explain the situation to his upperclassman.

"- so both teams agreed to disregard the rivalry _for now_ and celebrate the two school's victory in the preliminary game." Hikoichi finished saying.

"Whose stupid idea was that?" Uozumi growled at the younger teen.

Too stunned to speak, Hikoichi took a step back, conspicuously hiding behind Sendoh.

Ryota, whose stomach was grumbling for food, decided to join in the conversation. "Uozumi-senpai, it's good to see you again. How are you doing?"

Uozumi eyed the curly haired boy wearing sunglasses suspiciously before replying, "I was doing extremely well until that idiot ruined it."

"Hey, who are you calling an idi-ooommpph!" Ryota roughly elbowed Sakuragi's ribs, effectively shutting him up. Before the redhead could make any nasty remark, Ayako quickly stepped in and pulled him by the ears, dragging him away from Uozumi.

"As the team captain of Shohoku, I deeply apologized for Sakuragi's rude behaviour towards you. But, I also want to point out that he was simply trying to protect your co-worker from being bullied by those kids." Ryota explained as he pointed his thumb towards Mizuki. "That's your mascot, right?"

Uozumi nodded, his mouth set into a thin line.

"Anyway," Ryota continued, " Sakuragi maybe reckless, foul-tempered –

"Idiot," Rukawa interjected.

"Yeah, that too." Ryota said, nodding his head in agreement.

"HEY!"

"Loud-mouthed," someone from Ryonan's team piped up.

"Uncouth," another one commented.

"Barbaric- ouch!" Sakuragi escaped Ayako's grasp and choked one of the players whose bad mouthing him.

"Yes,yes, he's all of that. But you cannot deny that what Sakuragi did a while ago was absolutely heroic."

'Upon hearing Ryota's praise, Sakuragi immediately released his chokehold on one of his 'tormentors.' The vexation on his face transformed into one of pure bliss.

"That's right, Ryo-chin! I'm not only _the_ Tensai but also the defender of the weak! Nyahaha!" Sakuragi announced with both hands on his hip and chest puffed out proudly.

Ryota rolled his eyes in response. _'He's too gullible.'_ He thought.

Being the team captain, Ryota had learned to read all of his team member's behaviour. With Sakuragi, he finds it exhausting to be constantly knocking some sense into the troublemaker's head. He's always reminding him to be cautious with his words, but it seems like he's talking to a brick wall. So he a come up with a temporary solution; that is to stroke the redhead's already over inflated ego.

Ryota could tell by the look on Uozumi's face that he was not impressed with what he heard. "Well, perhaps you could ask your co-worker to tell us what really happened." Ryota suggested, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

Mizuki could feel their eyes on her, waiting for her response. "Well, you see…" she started, her voice muffled by the huge onigiri attached to her head.

Luckily for her, Sendoh confirmed Ryota's statement. "That's completely unnecessary coz I for one witnessed Sakuragi's display of gallantry."

Koshino choked at their ace's comment. _'He must be really hungry to be saying those things.'_

"And there's no need to be hostile, senpai. Both teams had agreed for a ceasefire, and the entire Shohoku team had come all the way here to have a taste of your superb cooking."

 _'With the way he was sugar coating things, Sendoh's definitely hungry.'_ Koshino thought.

Uozumi was silent for a moment, before exhaling a defeated sigh."All right, all right, I'll let it pass this time."

"It's settled then." Sendoh said with a grin as he patted the large guy on his shoulder. Turning to the group, he announced, "Let's go inside, everyone."

"Finally! "I'm starving!" booms Sakuragi and immediately opened the door, not even bothering to wait for his teammates.

As Ryota was about to enter the restaurant, Uozumi blocked his path, towering over the much shorter player. Fixing Ryota with an icy glare, he said through gritted teeth, "You better keep a tight rein on that annoying player of yours."

Ryota nodded, a wry smile on his face. "Don't worry. I'll put a muzzle on that mouth of his."

"Don't forget the leash." Ayako added with a laugh.

Satisfied with his reply, Uozumi step aside to let Ryota pass. The rest of the Shohoku team followed suit.

Mizuki released the breath she's been holding, relieved beyond words when all of the players were finally out of view. However, her relief was short-lived when the tall figure of her boss suddenly loomed over her.

Wearing what seems like a permanent scowl on his face, Uozumi shoots her a hard gaze. "I don't want that idiot within a 10m radius from this place. If you see him next time, inform me ASAP. Got that?"

Mizuki could only nod in response. She came to a conclusion that she could never tell Sakuragi and the rest of the gang where she's working. That could only end in trouble. And she couldn't risk getting fired from her job.

xxxxx

Sitting alone on a cement step outside the bus terminal, Mizuki mentally cursed her rotten luck. Worry creases her face as she checked her watch for the umpteenth time. The cold midnight air made her shiver, and she rubbed her palms together to keep them warm and to stop herself from incessantly biting her nails. Glancing nervously around the deserted area, she fervently hopes that she wouldn't encounter some drunkard pervert or any type of paranormal activity. Kami knows how much of a scaredy-cat she was when it comes to ghosts and other creepy stuff.

Extremely drained from working overtime, she fell asleep on the bus, causing her to miss her stop. What was supposed to be a 10 to15 minutes bus ride home turned to more than an hour ride. Even more embarrassing was that the driver had to wake her up numerous times, informing her that they were already at the terminal. To make matters worse, she couldn't take another bus home as it was already past midnight and there were no more trips available. She didn't want to take the risk of taking a cab all by herself, and even if there's no issue about safety, she doubt she could afford to pay one, and asking her aunt or uncle to shoulder the taxi fare is absolutely out of the question. They will most probably tell her to quit once they learn how much her part-time job is wearing her out. Asking Hanamichi for help was also not a good idea; knowing how stubborn the redhead can be, he will most likely pester her until he gets the answer to his questions. Another reason was she didn't want to disturb him as he's definitely exhausted after today's game.

In the end, Mizuki was left with no other option but to call her cousin. Swallowing her pride, she dialled their house number and was extremely relieved when it was Mito, and not her aunt or uncle, who answered the phone. She immediately informs him of her present predicament and was silently grateful when he didn't ask her to further elaborate.

Trying to distract herself from the fact that she was currently alone in the terminal during the wee hours of the morning, Mizuki's thoughts inevitably went back to what had occurred at the restaurant. As soon as the embarrassing memory flooded her mind, she immediately regretted thinking about it. She dragged her hands over her tangled hair and started pulling them out of frustration, hoping to erase the cringe worthy event permanently from her brain.

 _Mizuki was supposed to enjoy her fifteen minute break, free from the confines of her heavy costume, the suffocating heat, her demanding boss, and most of all, the ridicules and insults she received from some troublesome customers. Honestly, she couldn't blame them as mascots were supposed to look 'kawaii' but sadly, hers was utterly appalling._

 _Still wearing her costume, Mizuki headed to the back of the restaurant, being extremely cautious not to be seen by any of the Shohoku basketball players. She was pretty sure that everybody_ _was inside the premises enjoying their food at the moment and that no one will bother to hang outside where the dumpster is located so she allowed herself to relax and let go of her guard. As soon as she reaches the back of the building, she quickly removed the gigantic head of the mascot and breathes out a sigh of relief. "Ah, freedom."She muttered with her eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the cool breeze of air caressing her damp face._

 _The moment she opened her eyes, she was met by the piercing glare of Rukawa's cobalt orbs and an amused expression from the guy who help her out earlier. She recalled one of the players called him Sendoh._

 _Mizuki was so shocked to see them that the onigiri head she was holding slips from her hands. Never had she expected that she would encounter two of the most gorgeous guys she had ever laid her eyes on at the dumpster area, of all places. What in the world are they doing out here?_

 _She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, not knowing what to say. Lips gone dry and hair sticking on her forehead, Mizuki knew she looked completely ridiculous with her head poking out from the huge costume covering the rest of her body. Standing before the both of them, Mizuki never felt uglier in her entire life than this exact moment._

 _It was Sendoh who broke the awkward silence. "Er, hi there."_

 _Still unable to find her voice, Mizuki nodded dumbly in response._

 _A smile formed on Sendoh's lips and Mizuki cannot help but envy the guy's easygoing nature, like everything's all sunshine and roses in his life. "We apologize for invading your sanctuary."_

 _They heard Rukawa snort in disagreement, as if to say she's the one who interrupted him and the spiky haired boy's conversation by unexpectedly barging into them._

 _Mizuki scratched the back of her neck as she gave a nervous laugh."Nah. It's me who should apologize. I didn't mean to barge in a private conversation. I just didn't expect to find anyone here."_

 _With the absence of her onigiri head, Mizuki felt absolutely naked. She was blushing so hard she could feel her face was about to explode. She suddenly misses the sense of anonymity her costume provided._

 _"Um- Please continue with your conversation."She stammered, refusing to look at any of them. "Don't mind me. I'll be leaving now."Bending down to grab her head costume from the ground, Mizuki forgot to take into consideration the current state of her getup and that small action made her teetered for a second before losing her balance._

 _As she wobbled, both guys went to reach for her. Since Rukawa was standing just a few feet behind her, he was able to catch her first before she could stumble, holding her steady with his hands on her shoulders._

 _His close proximity sent Mizuki's heart tripping, thus turning her into a nervous wreck. Panic seized her, triggering her klutz attack. As she took a step back to put some distance between them, one of her hands accidentally hit him in the face. Rukawa staggered a bit from the unexpected blow. He managed to regain his posture – for only a few seconds – as Mizuki once again lost her footing and this time he wasn't able to prevent her from toppling over him. He found himself pinned to the ground with her behemoth of a costume on top of him._

 _Rukawa remained motionless on the ground lest he unintentionally injured her by pushing her heavy weight away from him. He let out a sigh of defeat as he heard her repeatedly mumbled her apologies while flailing her arms helplessly. He then glanced up and saw Sendoh looking down at the two of them with a huge grin on his face. Clearly, he finds their current situation very amusing._

 _Having notice the death glare that Rukawa was sending him, Sendoh tried to hide his amusement behind a cough._

 _"Need help?"The spiky haired boy asked, trying his best to stifle his laughter. Not waiting for a reply, he began to lift Mizuki's costume clad body before she could squash Shohoku's ace with its load._

 _Mortified beyond expression, Mizuki wanted nothing more than having the ground open and swallow her up. Out of all the people, it had to be Rukawa who had to witness, and worse, become a victim of her clumsiness._

 _And then there was Sendoh who also saw the whole thing._

 _Great. She managed to make a fool out of herself in front of two good looking guys._

 _'Way to go, Mizu.' She thought bitterly._

 _"Maybe you ought to ask Uozumi for a health insurance for your job. That costume is quite lethal." Sendoh commented as he handed her the mascot's head._

 _Mizuki absentmindedly took it from him, her gaze still on Rukawa as she checked to see if he's okay._

 _Sendoh shook his head in amusement. Obviously, Rukawa had gotten himself another fangirl. But then, much to his disbelief, he saw the reserved player of Shohoku gave a brief look – was that concern? – to the girl. Curiosity got the better of him, so he asked. "You two knew each other?"_

 _Face still red from the humiliating incident, Mizuki lowered her head as she answered shyly. "Ah, yes. Classmates."_

 _"Oh. You also go to Shohoku." Sendoh remarked, his interest piqued. Leaning forward, he whispered in a conspiratorial manner, "Are the stories about Rukawa always dozing off and going totally berserk if someone tries to wake him up in class, real?"_

 _Confused by the unexpected question, Mizuki raised her head and looked at the boy with the easy going smile and eyes sparkling with mirth._

 _"Eh?" was her not so smart reply. She blame that the fuzziness in her brain was due to the fact that she had hit her head too many times today and certainly not because of the two attractive guys standing in front of her. She shot a glance at Rukawa, whose eyes were boring into her, as if daring her to answer Sendoh's query. She gulped, not wanting to get on his bad side. After all, she made a promise to be nicer to him, when he finally agreed to do the interview. She could pretend and tell Sendoh that she doesn't have any idea, but that is just too big of a lie to tell. Or she could just make a snappy remark about him minding his own business, but looking at the spiky haired boy, she found that she couldn't be mean to him. He seems like a gentle soul, like the type of person who always stops to say hello to dogs and then pet them._

 _In the end, she opted for diversionary tactic._

 _Feigning surprise, Mizuki pointed to Sendoh's dark blue jacket with the latter's school's name printed on it. "Oh, so you're from Ryonan."_

 _Sendoh nodded in affirmation and if he'd noticed her ruse, he didn't mention it. All of a sudden, he smacks his head as he realizes something._

 _"Sorry. How awfully rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself." He said, smiling sheepishly before slightly bowing his head. "I'm Sendoh. Akira Sendoh."_

 _"Yohei Mizuki."_

 _A thought clicked in his mind. "So, you're a second year student like Rukawa. How about Sakuragi, he's a sophomore too, right? Are you in the same class with him also?"_

 _"No." Mizuki answered all too quickly._

 _"Oh well, I'm positive that the teachers had intentionally separated them." Sendoh said, a glint of humor in his eyes. "There's no stopping the chaos as long as those two are within close distance." Then, as an afterthought, he asked casually, "Or are they finally getting along now?"_

 _Mizuki furrowed her brows, his inquisitiveness igniting a flame of suspicion in her. She watched him warily, trying to figure out what his intentions are. Maybe he's just playing nice. After all, he is from Ryonan, a rival of Shohoku. Perhaps he's spying on the team, trying to find any weakness on their players._

 _She was not given enough time to examine his motives, as Rukawa finally decided to join the conversation. "Afraid, Sendoh? That Shohoku will beat Ryonan again?"_

 _Sendoh blinked at Rukawa's unanticipated comment. And then, his mouth quirked up into a grin. "Geez, always so intense."When Rukawa's glower didn't abate, Sendoh raised his palms in a placating gesture. "I don't have any ulterior motive, I'm just curious is all."_

 _The spiky haired boy let out a sigh when he noticed that Mizuki was still eyeing him with a wary expression. In an attempt to lighten the mood, he jokingly asked her if she had any favourite player among the Shohoku team. Imagine his shock when she answered –_

 _"Sakuragi Hanamichi."_

 _Her answer left Sendoh speechless. Honestly, he didn't expect to hear the redhead's name. Not because he thinks that the self proclaimed genius of Shohoku was not a worthy adversary, but because Sakuragi was overshadowed most of the time by Rukawa's popularity as majority of the girls prefers the latter. He turned to look at the stoic guy besides him and discovered that Rukawa was not pleased with her choice of player. Based on the - more than the usual - scowl on Rukawa's face, this info must have really pissed him off. Again, Sendoh was taken aback by Rukawa's behaviour, as the normally quiet player of Shohoku was not one to care about his fan base. But then again, she must have somehow damage his ego when she picked Sakuragi over him._

 _Mizuki frowned at their reactions, her previous embarrassment all forgotten. Miffed, she instantly went into defensive mode."Why act so shocked? Sakuragi is a great player. He has been instrumental in helping Shohoku gain victory against Sannoh." Raising her chin proudly, she added, "And in case you haven't heard, he's the Tensai."_

 _Sendoh cast a questioning glance at Rukawa, who merely shrugged and slightly raised his arms. The smile on Sendoh's lips broadened and a laugh bubbled up from within him, "Yes. I think I've heard that from him on countless occasions."An idea suddenly occurred to him. "I'm sure Sakuragi will be very pleased to know that he had such a loyal fan. Would you like to send your regards to him?"_

 _Mizuki balked at his suggestion. "No!" She replied all too loudly. Her cheeks flushed crimson again as she frantically think of a ruse for her behaviour._

 _Luckily for her, Sendoh came up with an explanation of his own. "Oh, I understand. You want to keep it a secret." He stated matter-of-factly._

 _Mizuki wasn't exactly keen with what he's insinuating, but having no other excuses, she decided to just go with the flow._

 _"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."Sendoh said assuredly, winking at her, which caused her eyebrows to shot up in surprise and her blush to deepened. Unaccustomed to 'pretty' boys suddenly paying attention to her, Mizuki hurriedly plopped the onigiri costume on her head, only to be met by complete darkness. Apparently, she had mistakenly put the mascot head backwards._

 _Both guys watched her struggle to rotate it in its correct position. Sendoh sweatdropped at the sight before him while Rukawa puffed out a frustrated breath and lifted his shoulders in a defeated shrug._

 _The spiky haired boy stood still, torn between sympathy and amusement. Taking pity on her, he raised his arms to help her removed that ridiculous thing off her head but for the second time that day, Rukawa beat him to it._

 _'Is everything a competition with this guy?' Sendoh mused, his attention focused on the two Shohoku students. After some difficulties, Rukawa finally had the mascot head in its proper orientation._

 _Alas, Mizuki's nerve endings went into overdrive again as she couldn't handle her personal space being invaded by Rukawa. History repeats itself and the ace of Shohoku found himself slumped to the ground once more._

 _Unable to contain his emotions, Sendoh burst into laughter. It was refreshing to see the normally composed Shohoku player looking so vulnerable and awkward while currently sprawled on the floor._

 _'Who am I kidding?' Sendoh thought, still grinning. He totally enjoys seeing his rival make a spectacle of himself._

 _As Sendoh bent down to assist the pair, the back door cracked open and Hikoichi's face peeked out, scanning the area. The younger boy's eyes widened in surprise as soon as he spotted the trio. But before he could voice out his query, the door suddenly swung open wide, causing him to lose his balance and landed face down, joining Mizuki and Rukawa on the cold, hard ground._

 _Hiroaki Koshino, stood at the door and surveyed the scene in front of him. His eyebrows knotted in confusion as he tries to come up with an explanation as to why Rukawa is being crushed by the restaurant's mascot. He recalled the Shohoku ace approached their table out of the blue and requested - more like demanded - to have a private conversation with Sendoh. Koshino didn't have to make any assumptions for he was sure of what Rukawa wanted. A one on one with Sendoh. The rest of Ryonan players respected his appeal for privacy but when it took longer than expected, Koshino decided to check on them, with Hikoichi tagging along._

 _"What's going on here?"Koshino asked, puzzled and intrigued at the same time._

 _"It seems that Rukawa here has a thing for onigiris."Sendoh answered him with obvious glee. His teammates stared back at him with a confounded look on their faces, while Rukawa openly glared at him._

 _And Mizuki was thinking about seriously moving to Mars for good._

Back at the terminal, Mizuki buried her head in her arms as she willed the memories to go away. She started pulling her hair again but with much force this time as she repeatedly muttered something to herself about her being unlucky. She was too preoccupied with her pity party that she didn't hear the approaching footsteps.

"Careful now, Mizu. You don't want to end up like Old Sayo."

Mizuki jumped at her cousin's voice. She raised her head and saw Mito looking down at her wearing his trademark lop sided grin. She slightly frowned when his off handed remark finally sink in.

Old Sayo is a spinster in her neighbourhood in Chiba who's widely known for her eccentric behaviour and potty mouth. She, together with Sakuragi and Mito were usually on the receiving end of her wrath - not that they didn't deserve it as they were often caught sneaking around into her backyard plucking some of her precious plums. They watched her out of boredom and they witnessed her talking to herself a number of times while smoking a pipe. Later, they discovered that the old lady believed that there are gnomes in her garden and that it was those magical creatures she was talking to.

Mizuki got up and began dusting off the back of her jeans. "About time you got your lazy butt in here." She'd meant it to sound snappy, but found it lacking. She cannot contain the relief she felt when her cousin arrived at last.

Aware that Mito was silently observing her, Mizuki busied herself with wiping the imaginary dusts on her pants. She couldn't help her lips curving into a smile when she heard him say, "Geez, Mizu, you look terrible."

And just like that, they are back to their old bantering selves.

Mizuki raised her head and with one eyebrow arching, she replied, "Why thank you, cousin of mine, you look like shit yourself ."

A huge grin spread across Mito's face. "Well, I think I'm allowed to not appear like my usual dapper self once in a while."

At his smug comment, Mizuki merely rolled her eyes in response.

Upon spotting Mito's motorbike, she pursed her lips sarcastically. "Are you sure that ancient bike of yours can take us home before the sun rises?

Handing her a helmet, Mito clucked his tongue in disapproval. "I find your lack of faith disturbing."

"Oh well, if it's capable of carrying the heavy load of Takamiya, I think it can survive the ride back home," says Mizuki as she adjusted the straps on her helmet.

As soon as both of them were securely seated, Mito started the engine and drove off.

The streets were deserted, except for the occasional passing cars. They were silent for a while, their playful mood gone as both were lost in their own thoughts.

Mizuki felt a pang of guilt shot through her over the way she treated her cousin. Unable to cope with this uncomfortable feeling and desperate to patch things up with him after that awful argument, Mizuki finally muttered, "I'm sorry."

"Dummy! What are you apologizing for?" Mito asked, glancing briefly over his shoulder. "If I remembered correctly, you're acting just your usual busybody self. You have nothing to be sorry about."

He let out a chuckle when she whacked him hard on his back.

"Hey, I'm being serious here!" Mizuki huffed, resisting the urge to bop him on the head. "Sorry for being concerned for your well being." She stuck out her tongue at him, unable to contain the childish impulse.

"Look. I stopped smoking, that's the truth." Mito said, his tone earnest.

"But when I asked you to show me what's inside your pocke-"

"Just believe me, okay?"

"Okay."

There was a brief silence.

"But, what are you hiding in your pockets anyway?"

"Nothing that should concern you."

Again, a moment's silence as Mizuki pondered on his answer.

"Alright." She replied after a few minutes, "I already know why you choose to keep it a secret. And I don't need to hear about your se- umm your, ummm," Stuttering with the word, she decided to just spell them out. "Your S-E-X life. In fact, I don't want to ever– aaahh!" Her words were cut off when the motorbike suddenly swerved off the road.

"Be careful, Mito!" Eyes shut; it took her some time to regain her bearings.

"What the heck, Mizu? Wherever did you get that absurd idea?!" He shouted, scandalized by what she's insinuating. Too shocked, Mito completely failed to notice her discomfort from the swerving incident. "It's not condo- ummh, it's not what you think, okay! I don't have C-O-N-D-O-M-S in my pockets." He slapped his forehead in frustration for acting like a sissy. ' _For cripe's sake, he couldn't even say the word.'_

"Besides, I don't have a girlfriend." He added bitterly.

Tearing her mind away from dwelling on negative thoughts, she raised her head and stare at the moon above. "What about muffin girl?"

"Who?"

"Muffin girl, you know, the person responsible for your bloated face."

Shaking his head, he answered abruptly. "She's not my girlfriend."

Mizuki didn't miss the wistful tone in his voice. "Are you ever going to tell me who she is?"

"No. I don't know. Maybe someday. But not today." Mito raised his right hand to run his fingers through his hair – a sign that he's agitated – but dropped them back to the bike's handle when he realized he's wearing a helmet. "Look, I promise that I will reveal to you her identity."

"But not today." Mizuki repeated his words.

"Not today."

"Okay." She couldn't help teasing him a bit more. "How about tomorrow?"

"Mizuki!"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh, no need to be grumpy."

The rest of the ride home continued in a pleasant journey and Mizuki was very sure her streak of bad luck has ended.

But she thought wrong.

It was several blocks away from their apartment when Mito's scooter started making funny noises.

"Mizu…."

"Yeah?"

Silence...

"We run out of gas…"

"Seriously?!"

* * *

 **A/N** : Poor Mizu-chan. But hey, she gets to have Rukawa in the end, not so unlucky in love after all. =P


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Thank you for sending Mizuki some love! Once again, sorry for taking so long to update. Unlike before when I'm still working, I have all the free time to write chapters and daydream about Rukawa but I'm a full time mom now and I only get to update during the evening after I put my little one to sleep. The problem is he's such a fussy sleeper and by the time I opened my laptop, my eyes are all droopy, my mind's going blank, and my bed is calling me to sleep. So yeah, there you have it, my excuse for the late post. :D

Anyway, here's the next chapter, enjoy reading!

* * *

Chapter 15: Expect the Unexpected

Five sets of mouth were comically hanging open as they stared at the white paper plastered on the bulletin board. The Sakuragi Gang stood deathly still, huddled in a group, all wearing stupefied expressions with their eyes never leaving the sight in front of them.

Standing in the middle of his four friends, Sakuragi roughly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and blinked hard, convinced that they were playing tricks on him. Because there is absolutely no way in hell anyone will believe this shit.

His pot-bellied friend, Takamiya shared the same opinion. Every now and then, the word 'unfreakingbeliavable' would come out of the portly guy's mouth.

Ohkusu leaned closer, his nose almost touching the paper as he repeatedly read the list. "Am I in the twilight zone or something?" He mumbles to himself.

Mito, whose view was blocked by the blonde haired boy, forcibly shoved him away. He looked at the paper again, squinting hard. "Is this some kind of a joke?" He murmured after a moment's consideration. Then, glancing at Sakuragi he asked, "Hanamichi, did you put this?"

Sakuragi shook his head vehemently, his gaze never leaving the bulletin board.

"Well, something's definitely wrong with my eyes because there's no way I'm reading Noma's name under the Prince Charming role."

As soon as Mito said those words, all four skeptics turned their scrutiny to the person who's the primary cause of their disbelief.

Noma also had his mouth gaping open as he look fixedly at the list, but unlike his friends, his reaction was more in silent amazement rather than contempt. He absentmindedly stroked his mustache - which was growing quite rapidly much to Sakuragi's displeasure - as he inwardly gloated over his triumph. _'Sugoi!'_

Takamiya suddenly jumped on Noma's back and tightly wound his arms around the latter's neck. "Tell me, what kind of sorcery did you used?!" He demanded as he had him in a chokehold.

"Get off me, you stinky hippo!" Noma wailed as he struggled to escape from Takamiya's grip. The latter ignored Noma's plea and tighten his hold on him instead. "Not until you tell us what tricks or secret strategy you played for you to land that role!"

"There are no tricks or whatsoever! Why can't you all losers just accept that I am a better actor than any of you combined?"

Noma's haughty announcement earned him a head butt from Sakuragi. Only a genius like him was allowed to brag. Anger burning through him, he bellowed, "Who's the moron who thinks Moustache deserves the role?!"

From behind him, a loud cough and clearing of a throat was heard.

"Ahemm."

The five of them simultaneously shifted their attention to the source of the sound, and an uncontrolled chill coursed through their body when they saw their teacher, Yamada-sensei, observing their group with an irate expression on her face.

"That would be me, Sakuragi-san." The petite brunette answered the redhead's inquiry. She pushed her red framed eyeglasses up her nose before adding in an icy tone. "And I certainly don't appreciate your choice of words."

"Yamada-sensei! I was just... er... just...joking. Just joking!" Sakuragi emitted a nervous laugh while rubbing the back of his neck.

But their teacher didn't find his joke to be funny. "It seems to me that you're completely opposed to having Chuichirou-san as the leading man in the play. May I know the reason why, hmmm?"

"Er- well,you see, I do not think...he's ummm... leading man material." stuttered Sakuragi. He wanted to say that Noma was way too ugly for the role but for once, restrained himself from speaking crude words. After all, he didn't want to make a bad impression on his favourite teacher

"Is that so?" Yamada-sensei arched one perfect eyebrow. "Who do you think deserves the role then?"

Sakuragi wanted to say he very much deserved the part but incredulously, he was able to clamp his mouth shut. Instead, he merely shrugged his shoulders in response.

"If you don't have anything more to say, let me give you my reasons then for picking Chuichirou Noma out of all the countless candidates."

"Although he's not exactly that good looking to be the prince," – the four losers snickered at the remark while Noma had a crestfallen look on his face, " But," The teacher added and Noma's downcast expression abruptly turned to anticipation. "I must say that he has enough charisma to fill in the role." Her statement made Sakuragi almost want to vomit. So shocked was Takamiya that his arms went limp to the side, releasing Noma from his tight hold causing him to fall hard on his butt.

"He has effortless dramatic skills," Yamada-sensei continued and with every compliment, Noma's head started to swell. "He came fully prepared to the audition, complete with the costume and all, he was very much in-character, knows his lines, had a very clear, deep voi-"

"Please stop, Yamada-sensei. Noma's head is about to explode!" Ohkusu pleaded.

The bespectacled young woman ceased talking and learned that the blonde haired boy was not exaggerating. Noma's head was now as big as a balloon.

Realizing that she's gaping at him, she quickly closed her mouth. Pressing one fist into her lips, she cleared her throat and said, "Very well, then. I hope I was able to convince the four of you nonbelievers with my reasons.

Not wanting to contradict her, Sakuragi and the rest of the doubters nodded their head dumbly.

Upon seeing their affirmation, a triumphant smile formed on Yamada-sensei's lips. Turning to Noma, her expression then became serious as she said to him, "And Chuichurou-san, don't make me regret my decision of casting you."

"Yes, Sensei, I will do my best." Noma bowed, his voice filled with absolute gratitude. And for a moment, his friends were dumbfounded by the uncharacteristic display of sincerity and the determination that crossed the moustached boy's face as he declared fiercely, "I won't fail you."

xxxxx

"Someone's in a bad mood." Mizuki stated after Sakuragi set his tray on the table with a loud clang, slightly startling her.

The scowling redhead ignored her and began to scarf down his food.

Mizuki rolled her eyes at him and continue eating. Sakuragi throwing temper tantrums was nothing new.

"So...," she drawled as she picked a piece of fish with her chopsticks. "Who pissed in your coffee?"

"Grrrr!" Sakuragi growled as he furiously stuffed his mouth with rice.

Chewing silently, she regarded the cranky boy sitting across the table. "What are you so mad about, anyway?" She asked him shortly even though she already knew the answer. There was never a day gone by without him complaining about Rukawa being the bane of his existence.

"So arrogant! I can't stand him!" He growled again, bits of rice spitting from his mouth.

Mizuki quickly covered her tray of food with her hands, her nose scrunched up in profound disapproval at her friend's lack of etiquette.

"Where are your manners, Hanamichi?" Mito chided as he and Ohkusu joined the pair at the table.

Mizuki took a sip from her drink, hiding her grin behind the bottle of her fruit juice. "You should know by now that his table manners are practically nonexistent."

"Clearly, he hasn't moved on." The blonde haired boy sitting beside Sakuragi commented between mouthfuls of rice.

With a resigned sigh, Mizuki put her drink down. "Come on now, Hanamichi," she said in an assuring tone. "There's always the next time. You can always try outscoring Rukawa in the succeeding game."

Sakuragi stopped mid-chew and blinked at her. "Huh?"

Turning to Mito, he pointed his chopsticks at Mizuki and asked, "What's she talking about?"

"Obviously, the two of you are not on the same page." Mito answered without bothering to look at any of them, too engrossed with his meal.

Mizuki's forehead creased in confusion. "What do you mean not on the same page? He's upset because Rukawa outscored him at yesterday's match. Right, Hanamichi?" She asked him and the deep scowl returned on the redhead's face, irked that she brought that up.

"Who says I'm talking about that ugly fox?"

"Sorry, I'm kinda lost here," says Mizuki, more baffled than ever. Because truthfully, when did he ever stop whining about Rukawa?

"The only reason he got to score more than me was because he keeps on hogging the ball." Sakuragi explained as he violently dug into his rice bowl. "Selfish bastard." He added in a voice full of vitriol.

"Okaayy." She drawled as she watched him devour his food. "So, if it's not Rukawa, to whom is your anger aimed?

"The answer to your query can be found at your 4 o' clock." It was Mito who replied, eyes never leaving his lunch.

Mizuki turned her head towards her right, scanning the cafeteria. A large group of students from different year and class dining together caught her attention. And a familiar looking guy sporting a moustache came into view.

"Huh?"

Mizuki was completely taken aback when she saw Noma sitting beside drama queen Ohara Fumiko, whose face clearly says that she doesn't want to be there.

"Charming my foot!" Sakuragi fumed, shooting daggers at Noma who was laughing loudly – most probably at his own lame joke.

"Why would Nom – Ahhhh." Her words were cut off as realization finally dawned on her. Mizuki leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. "That explains why. Chuichirou-kun just snagged the coveted role of sleeping beauty's beau."

Her nonchalance had Sakuragi narrowing his eyes at her.

"What?" Mizuki asked defensively.

"What do you mean what? Why are you not even a bit shocked that he was chosen for the male lead?"

"That's really not a shocker. After all; Chuichirou-kun had a flair for drama." She stated. "Besides, Fuji's sister" – she pointed to one of the girls – "the one with the hair tied up in a red ponytail and seated at the head of the table, she's the drama club's president. And she told Fuji-chan that Noma's audition was exceptionally good."

"Exceptionally good?" Sakuragi blanched in disgust. "She probably lost some of her brain cells after watching that dreadful performance."

Raising one eyebrow, Mizuki leaned forward and clasped her hands together. "And how would you rate Noma's audition, O clever one?"

"Worst acting I've ever seen." The redhead remarked before taking a swig of his ionized drink. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he added sourly, "Definitely not leading man worthy. Can't even pass as an extra. Thinking about Noma and his horrendous acting and ugly moustache makes me want to vomit my lunch." He shuddered in an exaggerated fashion.

"Uh-huh." Mizuki said, unimpressed. "Are you sure you're talking about Noma's performance or are you referring to your own? Or perhaps Ohkusu's?

The blonde haired boy coughed and nearly choked on his food. "Hey! Mine is absolutely better than Hanamichi's cringe worthy audition." He said defiantly much to Sakuragi's irritation.

"Oh yeah? Says the idiot who keeps saying _Auwowa_ instead of Aurora!" Sakuragi retaliated by making fun of Ohkusu's difficulty in pronouncing the sound R.

"Seriously, guys. You should be happy for Chuichirou-kun." Mizuki said chidingly. "He finally found his passion. Just like you Hanamichi. You have basketball that inspired you, that keeps you motivated." Glancing over at Mito, she gave him a light nudge with her elbow. "How about you, dear cousin of mine? When will you join a club that will keep you busy and put an end to your idle moments?"

Mito gingerly placed down his chopsticks on his empty plate. He then slowly pulled the ring tab from his canned soda and took a few sips, intentionally delaying his response. He felt a nudge – with more force this time – in his ribs. He set his coke down on the table, a small smile playing on his lips. "Actually," he started, "I'm thinking of creating my own. I'd like to call it" - he made a gesture with his hand as he enthusiastically announced "- the _Slackers Club_. Sounds promising, don't ya think?"

The two previously arguing duo nodded their head in approval. Once again, Mizuki roughly nudge her cousin on his ribs.

"Sign me up on the club!" Ohkusu piped up.

Glancing around, Mizuki noticed another member of the gang is currently missing in action. "Speaking of slackers, where's Takamiya?"

"Lost his appetite," was Mito's quick answer.

"Really?" Mizuki asked incredulously. Takamiya had never missed lunch before and he certainly had never lost his appetite.

"No. He got stomach ache."

"Really?" She asked again, unconvinced. She always thought that Takamiya's bottomless pit of a stomach was made of steel.

"Serves him right for being such a glutton." Sakuragi said. As the redhead stated the lists and amount of food Takamiya had consumed for today, Mizuki began to scan the cafeteria, her eyes automatically straying towards the far end of the room - to where _he_ was usually seated.

It was starting to become a habit – one she'd like to get rid of because it's completely freaking her out. She didn't want to turn like all those obsessed admirers of him.

Lately she would find herself checking up on him - to see whether he had taken his lunch or decided to skip it and take a nap instead, or if some of his fan girl (who are gutsy) approached him and ask if she could join him. When this happens, a feeling of anxiety would wash over her but then relief would soon take over when he decline or ignore most of the girls' requests.

She returned her attention back to Sakuragi, who was still babbling about how much of a glutton Takamiya was. As she listened to her friend talk, Mizuki fiddled with her bottle cap as she tries to control her eyes from drifting back to the lone boy eating his lunch at the far end of the room.

Half a minute later, she felt her cousin tensed up besides her. She threw a questioning glance at him but when he ignored her unspoken query; she followed his gaze and saw him staring at Rukawa – whose attention was now focused on the girl with shoulder length hair standing beside his table. Mizuki couldn't see the girl's face as she had her back to them, but there was something familiar about her.

"Haruko-chan."

As soon as Mizuki mentioned her name, Sakuragi's face spontaneously lights up. "Haruko-chan?!Where? Where?" He quickly turned his head from side to side, searching for his blue-eyed inspiration.

The cousins pay him no heed, both silently scrutinizing Rukawa and Haruko's interaction.

Mizuki watched Rukawa vaguely nod his head at what Haruko was saying to him. She wished she could hear what they're talking about. She observed that Rukawa was more accommodating towards Haruko than any of the girls who approached him during lunch.

Was it because she's the team's assistant manager? Or was there something more?

A sense of uneasiness settled over her.

Mizuki's doleful thoughts were put to an end when Sakuragi abruptly stoop up and run towards Haruko, strategically placing himself between the girl of his dreams and the bane of his life.

She shook her head, feeling pity for her forever friendzoned buddy but at the same time, the redhead's too obvious and unceasing jealousy towards Rukawa exasperates her even more. Not to mention that he was acting in a rude manner by suddenly interrupting the pair's conversation.

"How pathetic." Takamiya voiced out what the three of them were thinking. The plump guy's abrupt appearance on their table came as no surprise. After all, nothing can keep Takamiya from having his lunch.

Ohkusu exhaled audibly as he placed his right fist under his chin. "Sigh. There's really nothing we can do."

Just then, Noma emerged behind the blonde haired boy. Bending down, he put one arm around Ohkusu's shoulder and leaned forward. "Never lose hope, my friends. There is another way to put an end to our favourite redhead's woes." He said with an evil glint in his eyes. They all stared at him, waiting in hushed anticipation and noticing how sinister Noma look at the moment, the gang had to commend him for his Oscar worthy act.

"We can just -" Noma paused for dramatic effect, and with a smirk, he added, "- kill Rukawa."

Everyone present in the cafeteria turned their heads towards where Mizuki and the boys were currently seated, some students have look of curiosity while others seems irritated by the group's loud outbursts.

Mizuki slapped her head in frustration as the rest of the boys make suggestions on how they will commit the deed and how they will get away with it. Seeing the stares of their schoolmates, she slowly slid down in her seat, embarrassed to be associated with these wackos.

xxxxx

Her legs won't stop bouncing, her palms feels clammy. The metal band around her pencil's eraser had long been gone, and her poor pencil had to suffer numerous bite marks because she can't stop herself from chewing it. She placed her hands on her lap and wiped her sweaty palms on her knee length navy blue skirt, glancing every now and then at the clock located on top of the black board.

2:45 pm.

Only a few hours left until her interview with Rukawa.

Mizuki wanted this to be over so she could have her inner peace at last, but at the same time, she wished time to slow down so she could mentally prepare herself. She heaved a sigh. This interview is seriously messing with her brains.

As the clock ticked nearer to the appointed time which is 5pm, her anxiety seems to be getting worse. This was a hundred times frightful than having a surprise quiz or getting to the front of the class to do a presentation.

She haven't spoken to him, doesn't even dare look at him during class. After yesterday's humiliating episode at the restaurant, she absolutely has no idea how she's going to face him. A bit disconcerting on her part since she's been pestering him for weeks to do the interview, but when he finally agrees, she realized she's not yet ready. She still had hundreds of fan queries that she needed to sort out. Uncertainty began to creep in. Could she pull this off, make an ice block suddenly start talking? And what if he had forgotten all about it? Should she remind him about the interview?

Mizuki was so consumed by her troubled thoughts that she didn't hear the class representative's command for all the students to rise in order to bid their teacher farewell. A nudge on her right foot put an end to her inner musings. She looked up to see Satoshi discreetly signalling her with his hands to stand up. "What?" She mouthed at him. Just then, she heard the class erupted in laughter – the loudest coming from the three idiots Noma, Takamiya and Ohkusu. She glanced around and her face instantly went crimson when she ultimately realized she's the only person who's still seated.

"Ah sorry." She responded as she promptly stood up.

After bidding the teacher goodbye, the students began heading out towards their respective clubs and school activities.

When Mizuki finally gain her composure and courage, Rukawa had already left for basketball practice.

xxxxx

Stepping out of the newspaper's club room, Mizuki felt the heavy weight of responsibility on her shoulders. Iwata - the editor in chief, dismissed her earlier than usual from the club's meeting so she could better prepare for the interview. Honestly speaking, she didn't know if she'll ever be ready for this. And with the way she acted around Rukawa yesterday at the restaurant, she fully expected a repeat of that humiliating moment.

But what she discovered a minute later was something she never expected to happen in a gazillion years.

As Mizuki turned around the corner, she nearly collided with Haruko coming the other way.

"Whoa! That was close!" Mizuki cried out, relieved that she managed to prevent another disaster from happening. Her butt had enough unwanted encounter with the cold, hard pavement already.

"Gosh! Mizuki-chan! I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going. It's tota-"

"Hey, no harm done." Mizuki assured her, patting her lightly on the shoulder. She observed that the blue eyed girl was acting not her usual cheery self, and appearing to be somewhat distraught. Deeply concerned, she asked, "What's going on Haruko-chan?"

Haruko twisted her fingers anxiously, and bit her bottom lip in worry. "It's Matsui. We can't find her."

The short haired girl's brow scrunched up in confusion. "She's missing?"

"Yes. She ran away after Takamiya kissed her!"

Haruko's unanticipated response made Mizuki's eyebrows shot up practically to her hairline. "Whoa," she said, holding up a hand. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

Haruko nodded her head and begin to tell her what happened. "Yes. It was actually an accident. The two of us, together with Fuji, were on our way to the gym when Takamiya-kun suddenly appeared out of nowhere – well, it was hard to believe, but I think he just dropped down from the sky or the roof or I don't know, everything happens so fast and the next thing we saw was he was lying on top of Matsui and – oh my gosh -" she covered her face to hide her blush, "and his... his lips were on hers and Matsui looks like she's going to pass out - "

"Puke, most likely." Mizuki interjected.

"- but then, she screamed and slapped Takamiya-kun so hard there were palm prints on his cheek and she was crying madly and then she started running away and we tried to run after her but she's just too fast and now we don't know where she is." Haruko said, her voice cracking slightly.

Mizuki was not used to Haruko looking so distressed and unhappy and she wanted nothing more than to see the bright smile on her face again. She wanted to blame Takamiya but just as Haruko had said, it was unintentional, but she bet his stinking patootie that he enjoyed every moment of it even though he got the slap of a lifetime in return. She suddenly felt pity for Matsui – imagine having her first kiss taken out of the blue and from Takamiya of all people, who probably just finished eating his spicy tuna sandwich or garlic filled snack.

Mizuki let out a shudder at the thought of being kissed by the gluttonous boy. Erasing the nasty thought from her mind, she returned her focus to the girl in front of her. Placing both her hands on the slightly smaller girl, she said in an encouraging tone, "Don't worry, Haruko-chan. We'll find her."

She was rewarded with a small smile from her and together they begin searching for Matsui; her scheduled interview with Rukawa all forgotten.

Halfway through the search, they cross path with Fuji, – another friend of Haruko – and she informed both of them that one of the students saw Matsui enter the third floor's comfort room.

"Matsui?" Haruko called out as she stepped inside the tiled room.

Low, stifled sobs were heard coming from one of the toilet cubicles.

"Matsui." Haruko called out her name again. Mizuki silently gestured to her two companions the cubicle where the crying girl was presently hiding.

"Come on, Matsui. We know you're in there." Fuji said, knocking softly on the door.

They heard Matsui blowing her nose before telling them to go away.

"Please, Matsui. Open the door. We're your friends. Don't shut us out, we're here for you, you know that." pleaded Haruko.

"I said go away!" Matsui wailed. "Go away and just let me die!"

Fuji and Haruko both gasped in fear. "No! Please don't say that!" They cried out.

While the two girls were busy pounding on the door and begging Matsui not to end her life, Mizuki was standing silently behind them, utterly unused to this kind of girls drama. She didn't personally know Matsui that well, so she can't tell if she's just being overly dramatic or if she's being serious about it. After all, first kiss are a big deal to most girls. But in her opinion, being kissed by someone - regardless of who he is – was a stupid reason to kill oneself. Even if it's Takamiya who's involved. But if it ever happened to her, she'll make sure that the person who's going to get buried six feet under is Takamiya himself, after he experienced one hell of a beating and torture through starvation.

Mizuki didn't know how long they listened to Matsui wailing how life was so unfair, how Takamiya stole the most precious thing to her, how she wished she would just stop breathing, blah, blah, blah. It was beginning to get tiring to say the least. In all honesty, the person who should be whining about how unfair life is should be her, considering the predicament she's currently facing. She almost wanted to snap and tell that to Matsui, but the concerned faces on Haruko and Fuji restrained herself from doing so. She was impressed by the two girls' patience on their friend, which truly shows how much they care for her.

"You don't know how I feel," Matsui said between sobs. "You don't know what it feels like to have your first kiss stolen from you."

Haruko and Fuji looked at each other, lost for words.

"Actually, I do," Mizuki interjected.

The two girls stare at Mizuki while Matsui's crying abruptly stopped.

Upon seeing the surprise look in their faces, Mizuki merely shrugged. Leaning against the tiled wall, she continued speaking. "If it's any consolation to you, my first kiss was also stolen from me. But unlike yours, mine was not by accident. It was purely intentional."

Fuji gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, beyond shocked at her revelation.

Matsui's sobs settled down into sniffles. After a while, the stall door cracked open and Matsui's red, puffy eyes peered at her. "Who did that to you?" She asked Mizuki.

"I shared my first kiss with a red haired monkey."

A heavy silence fell and then Matsui said in a choking manner, "Sakuragi was your first kiss?"

Mizuki's eyes almost popped out of her sockets. "What?! Eeeeeewww!Why would you say something like that?" She complained loudly, utterly repulsed by the notion.

Matsui's face turned apologetic. "I'm sorry. I just thought –"

Realizing the confusion, Mizuki explained further. "No. It was not Hanamichi," - she made a gagging noise again - "My dad and I went to the zoo; I think I was 10 or 11 that time. Anyway, there was this cute monkey and I asked my dad to take a photo of me and the ape. So there I was, happily sitting besides the monkey, stroking its thick hair when the creature suddenly hug me and planted a wet kiss on my unsuspecting lips."

"Oh," The sapphire-eyed girl managed to say after a deafening silence.

"So yeah. There goes my first kiss." Mizuki said, shrugging her shoulders like it's no big deal.

The three girls continue to stare at her, and Mizuki shifted her feet, feeling uncomfortable under their gazes.

Without warning, Haruko burst into a giggle. She pressed her fingers to her lips in an effort to stifle her laughter but failed when seconds later, her short haired friend Fuji joined in the giggling. The laughter proved contagious as Matsui also started to giggle.

Mizuki can't help but smile as she watched them giggling uncontrollably. It felt good to make somebody else happy.

"Thank you for finding my misfortune hilarious." She said teasingly after the three giggling girls finally calmed down.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to laugh at your expense. I just can't contro -" Mizuki quickly cut Haruko's apology off with a wave of her hand.

"No worries. My dad and I had a good laugh about it too."

"Ah. That felt really good." Matsui declared as she exited the cubicle. Wiping her tear stained cheeks, she then turned to Mizuki. "Thank you for the funny story and making me forget my troubles for a while."

Sniffling, the pony tailed girl lowered her head as she said, "And thank you all for listening to my woes. I'm really lucky to have such wonderful friends!" Matsui cried out before encircling the three girls in a group hug.

After exchanging hugs and words to boost Matsui's spirits, Haruko suggested that they should all have ice cream afterwards, – her treat – as she playfully announced that the cold dessert is the answer to all of life's problems. The rest of the girls immediately agree with her thinking.

It is only when Mizuki heard Matsui muttering her half-hearted apology to Haruko for the latter missing her daily dose of Rukawa goodness that she remembered her scheduled interview with the ace player.

"Oh, crap." Mizuki whispered as her steps faltered.

"What's wrong, Mizuki-chan?"

The rest of the girls stopped walking as they watched Mizuki with worry.

"I forgot about the damn interview." She said as she runs her hands down her face in agitation. Noticing the confused look on their faces, she informed them about her interview with Rukawa today after basketball practice.

A look of surprise was now etched on their features.

"Rukawa-kun finally said yes?" Haruko asked in disbelief.

"Yes! I was supposed to meet him at 5 today." Mizuki glanced down at Fuji's wristwatch and bit out a curse. "And I'm already an hour late!"

"Maybe you could still catch him. He's usually the last person to leave practice." Haruko, who's the team's assistant manager, informed her.

Mizuki's face lit up. "I really hope so! This is a onetime deal! If I screw this up, I don't think I'll be given a second chance."

Bowing, she mumbled her apologies about not being able to join them for ice cream and after that; she was out running as fast as her legs could carry her, hoping and praying that Rukawa– the boy who has been plaguing her mind as of late, – haven't left the gymnasium yet.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Sound of His Voice

The sun was just beginning to set when Mizuki finally reached the gymnasium. She paused at the door and bent over with her hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. A few minutes had passed but she remained standing outside the door as she couldn't get her heartbeat to slow down. Taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she then shook her arms vigorously in a bid to release the tension in her body, chanting "I can do this" under her breath.

"I can do this." She repeated the words with more conviction this time.

Grasping the cool metal handle, she gave the door a light push and a tiny spark of hope flickered within her when she discovered it was unlocked. But as soon as the realization hit her, her stomach churned with anxiety and she instinctively took a step back. "I can't do this."

Mizuki mentally slapped herself for being such a coward. There was no use delaying the inevitable. Besides, it's just Kaede freaking ice block Rukawa, the absolute epitome of antisocial. Why would she be afraid of him? Sure, he can be intimidating as hell, but she had encountered boys who are far more menacing. Rukawa was a kitten compared to those guys.

Emboldened by the thought, she kicked the metal door open, only to find the room empty.

"Hello?" Mizuki called out loudly in case the ace player was still in the locker room.

She waited for a few minutes before calling out again. "Hello? Anybody there?"

There was no answer.

"Yoohoo?" She hollered, her voice echoing throughout the gymnasium.

Once again, silence met her.

"Is there a Kaede Rukawa in the house?" She asked in jest as she stepped further into the vast room.

Stopping at the center of the rectangular court, Mizuki heaved a sigh. She was not sure if it was a sigh of relief or disappointment. She stood still, uncertain about her next course of action. The orange ball lying on the floor past the half court line suddenly caught her attention. Unbidden, she picked the round object and marvel at its weight in her hands. As she turned the ball over and over in her hands, her thoughts began to wander on the first time she watched Rukawa play. How she can't tear her eyes away from him. But how could she when he just makes playing basketball look so easy. And unbelievably cool.

She began dribbling the ball; the sound it created reverberated on the wooden floor. Raising the ball over her head with both hands, she aimed for the basket to make her winning shot.

It was an air ball.

A large sweatdrop appeared at the back of her head.

Undeterred by her first missed shot, she went to retrieve the ball where it rolled to the far end of the room.

This time, she positioned herself near the basket. Not even bothering to dribble, she leapt and releases the ball.

It went flying over the backboard.

Still refusing to give up, she tried again and managed to hit the front of the rim after the fifth attempt.

Proud of her progress, she picked up the ball that had landed at her feet. Pushing the bangs away from her face, she concentrated intently on the task at hand, visualizing the ball going through the basket, making a swishing sound as it hit nothing but net.

It was not what exactly she had visualized, but she was ecstatic when the ball hit the backboard and rolled around the rim - for what seems like an eternity to her - before dropping through the hoop.

"Oh yeah!" She whooped, punching the air, and in an almost perfect mimicry of basketball commentators, she then hollered, "Yohei Mizuki, three points!"

Her imagination kicked in and she envisioned herself surrounded by roaring crowds cheering for the Shohoku team.

She began dribbling the ball. "Yohei, wearing jersey no. 16 passed the ball to the Tensai, and - OHH – it was intercepted by Sendoh of Team - " she paused, thinking of a name, "- Team Wannabe. He makes a quick run towards the basket. He tripped over his own feet. What a shame! Ball is now up for grabs! Rukawa - Player no. 34 of Team Wannabe managed to seize the ball in his sleep deprived state. He's now aiming for a three points shot. He missed it. Sakuragi on the rebound. Shohoku back in possession! The Tensai passed it to Yohei. Heading straight towards the basket now - " she then attempted a lay up but the ball merely hit the rim, "-She scores! Beautiful shot by Yohei Mizuki! Twenty – zero to Shohoku!"

Mizuki jumped, utterly elated by her imaginary victory. Unable to resist, she started doing some sort of victory dance.

"Oh yeah! Oh yeah!" She continued with her silly dance, whirling around the room, "Oh yeah! Oh ye – OH MY GOSH!" She abruptly stopped mid-twirl, nearly causing her to fall flat on her face. Her eyes widened in complete horror, all air leaving her lungs as she finally took notice of the tall person standing in the doorway.

This unexpected spectator is none other than Rukawa.

xxxxx

Nothing ever fazes him. Or so he thought.

Rukawa didn't know which bothered him the most. Her blood-curdling, hair-rising singing voice or her poor attempt at dancing. He let out a snort. It can hardly be called dancing; it's more like a chicken flapping its wings. It was just too painful to watch.

And yet he remained standing, his shoulder propped against the door jamb, casually taking a sip from his canned drink as he lazily watched the odd girl who now stood frozen under the basketball hoop, her entire face transforming as red as the Dou Ahou's hair.

He just took a break from practice, going out of the gym to get some sports drink from the nearby vending machine. With the Championship fast approaching, Rukawa was pushing himself harder and extending his training time more than the other players. The preliminary game had already started and it wouldn't be long before the best two teams of the region will be announced, advancing their way towards the Interhigh. And he'll be damned if Shohoku didn't make it to the top two.

But for some unknown reason, he can't seem to concentrate today. That's why he decided to take a breather to quench his parched throat and also to distract him from whatever the hell's bugging him.

Pocari sweat in hand, he made his way back to the gymnasium. As he was about to open the door, he was surprised when he heard the sound of basketball being dribbled.

 _'Perhaps Ryota-senpai changed his mind and went back to practice.'_

That was Rukawa's first guess.

And he guessed wrong.

Standing on one side of the court and dribbling the ball in her tiny hands with such ease and - dare he say it – grace, is none other than rooftop girl.

He watched as the ball flew in the air and hit the rim before landing into the hoop. His gaze slightly softened as he saw the pure joy etched on her face when she made the shot.

"Yohei Mizuki, three points!"

That remark earned a sarcastic snort from him. But she was too busy celebrating to even notice or hear him.

Rukawa now realized the reason behind the lack of his usual intensity and his inexplicable irritable mood during his solo training today.

It was because she didn't show up for the scheduled interview. He thought that she stood him up. Which bothered him even more because why the hell would he even care if she showed up or not. He didn't even want to do the freaking interview in the first place. He absolutely has no idea why he even agreed to this kind of absurdity. It was probably his lack of sleep that made him said yes.

Rukawa suddenly sweatdropped at the sight before him. Rooftop girl was currently aimlessly running around the half court, spouting nonsense with her voice imitating that of a sports commentator, completely immersed in her own imaginary game. Another sweatdrop popped up at the side of his forehead when he heard the rival team's name.

 _'Team Wannabe? The heck is that?'_

A scowl then formed on his face, deeply offended that she put him and Sendoh on the same team. And even though the game was just a sheer make believe, him missing a shot was a blow to his ego. In fact, he felt absolutely insulted.

"-She scores! Beautiful shot by Yohei Mizuki! Fifteen – zero to Shohoku!"

Rukawa stared at the girl in front of him like she was crazy. He didn't even see the ball go in and he almost wanted to point out the numerous violations that she committed during the span of her imaginary game.

But what she did next made him choke on his drink.

Even with all the coughing that he's doing, she still had not registered his presence.

When she finally realized that somebody was in the same room with her, his coughing had died down and his expression had returned to its normally impassive state.

xxxxx

Heat began to radiate off Mizuki's face, making her aware that she's probably as red as an overripe tomato at the moment. She quickly turned around in order to hide her face from him, and picked the ball on the floor, pretending that nothing happened - that he did not just witnessed that awkward and 'cringy' dance performance of her.

 _'Why is it that she never fails to make a fool out of herself whenever she was within a hundred feet of him?_ '

She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm the erratic beating of her heart. Staring at the ball in her hands, she began to rack her brain for something to say.

Unbelievably, it was Rukawa who spoke first.

"You're late."

At the sound of his voice, Mizuki whirled around, surprise evident in her face.

She watched as the raven haired boy gulped down the last of his drink before disposing it to the nearby trashcan. He's wearing a black Nike shirt and as much as she doesn't want to admit it, he looks really good in black.

Realizing she's staring, Mizuki immediately averted her gaze. Clearing her throat, she gave him a half bow. "Thanks again for this opportunity, Rukawa-kun. And I deeply apologize for being late." Standing straight, she pushed the hair from her face and frowned when she remembered the reason why she was late. "Today was a very crazy day!" She whined, forgetting who she was speaking to.

"Have you heard about what happened to Takamiya-kun and Matsui-chan?" Without waiting for a response, she continued, "I just learned about it a few hours ago when I accidentally bumped into Haruko-chan. She looks very distressed and she told me that her friend, Matsui was missing. So, the two of us went to look -" she stopped mid-sentence when she realized that she's babbling. And from the bored look on Rukawa's face, she was sure that he's not eager to hear about what had transpired between Takamiya and Matsui. He probably doesn't even know who those two were.

"Never mind that." Agitation made her bounced on the balls of her feet.

Smacking the ball on her hands, she tried to hide the quiver in her voice. "Anyway, let's focus on the task at hand. Shall we begin the interview?"

"Oh wait!" She exclaimed all of a sudden. Releasing the ball from her grip, she then proceeded to pick her bag that she carelessly tossed on the floor earlier. "Let me get my stuff first."

"First of all, I want to congratulate you on yesterday's victory against Yokosuka High." She stated as she rummaged on her bag for her interview materials. "I really wanted to go watch the game, but too bad, it happened during school hours and besides, I have to work afterwards at the restau-" She clamped her hand over her mouth at the slip. She mentally kicked herself for bringing the topic of her part time job in the conversation. She prayed that he didn't heard or realized her slip, but alas, everything seems to be working against her favour.

"Ah. Onigiri girl." Rukawa pointed at her while spinning the ball with his other hand.

Mizuki wanted to strangle herself with the basketball net. "Ah ha ha. Yup. That's me in the ugly mascot." She gave a fake laugh as she scratched the side of her neck. "Sorry for repeatedly falling over you." Her eyes widened in alarm at her statement. Wrong choice of words!

She quickly corrected herself, "I mean repeatedly _toppling over_ you. _Toppling over_." She said, putting more emphasis on the word.

"Okay. Enough of that. Let's start the interview." She insisted and began heading towards the nearest bench, no doubt anxious to change the topic.

Looking back over her shoulder, she noticed that he has not moved from his spot.

"Do you want to sit down? I'm not planning to hog much of your time as I know you're quite busy with the preliminary game and stuff but it would be more comfortable for the both of us if we-"

"What's the score?" Rukawa interrupted her as he adjusted his arm band.

Her nose scrunched up in confusion. "Eh? Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by that."

"Score of my team against yours?"

"Eh _?_ " She repeated. _He can't mean_ – "When did you got in here?" She asked abruptly, her mind screaming, _'how much did you see and heard?'_

He ignored her and answered his own question instead. "Ah. Fifteen to zero."

Rukawa started dribbling and jumped, gently releasing the ball from his hand. It swished through the net cleanly.

"That's three points." He informed her before picking the ball on the ground.

Mizuki couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Well, geez, thanks for enlightening me." She replied sarcastically. "Now, if you're finished –" _showing off_ , she added mentally, "can we start the inter –" her eyes narrowed when he started dribbling the ball again. "What are you doing?"

Rukawa continued dribbling, ignoring her query once again.

She strode towards him, hands waving wildly above her head. "Hey! We're here to do the interview, remember?"

The dark haired boy briefly cast her a glance before sidestepping her and effortlessly sending the ball straight through the net.

He looked down at her, a glint of humor in his ocean blue eyes. "That's another three points, bumpkin."

Mizuki gaped at him, her mouth falling open in a comical 'o'.

By the time his words finally registered in her brain, Rukawa was already standing on the corner of the room, scribbling something on the white board.

"Don't call me bumpkin." She huffed indignantly. She remained glued to the spot but unable to resist her curiosity, she craned her neck to try to take a glimpse on what he's writing.

Rukawa capped the marker and tossed it back into the pen tray before making his way back to the court to retrieve the ball.

With his tall figure no longer blocking her view, she was able to see clearly.

"Shohoku - 15. Wannabee - 6." She read aloud.

There was a deafening silence, followed by Mizuki's incredulous voice. "Are you serious?"

He gave her a look that says he's dead serious.

"But, but - that's just an imaginary game!" She spluttered.

"So?"

"So there's no point doing this." She gritted her teeth, trying to keep her cool, but failing miserably. "It's just something I concocted in my head."

"I don't like losing." He deadpanned.

Mizuki threw her hands up in the air and raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Oh heavens, you're just as childish as Hanamichi."

Rukawa scowled at the comparison.

"Will you quit that?" She demanded when he wouldn't stop dribbling. The short haired girl resisted the urge to snatch the damn ball from him. But when the tall player successfully made another three points shot, she gives in to her urge and as soon as the ball hits the floor, she quickly makes a run for it.

She clutched the ball tightly to her chest. "Okay. Let's just pretend that shot you just made was worth ten points." She informed him, slightly out of breath from the short run. When he didn't protest, she then rested the ball against her hip. "So, games over, alright. Your team won."

When his eyes zoned in on the object currently perched on her hip, Mizuki gulped loudly. "Er, fifteen points then?"

She took a step back as Rukawa stepped forward. "Did I say fifteen? I meant fifty. Fifty!"

"I don't cheat." Rukawa declared, his eyes burning.

"Oh shit." Mizuki managed to utter before the ace player lunged for the ball.

xxxxx

Mizuki had learned her lesson. Never ever _ever_ challenge Rukawa in a game, even if it's merely a product of one's imagination.

After almost giving her a heart attack when he suddenly charged towards her to snatch the ball from her grasp, Mizuki wisely moved to the sideline and didn't make any attempt to even lay a finger on the cursed object.

Only when the score was finally on his team's favour did Mizuki decided to speak up. "Alright." She makes a high pitched buzzing sound indicating that the game's over. "15 to 17. Congratulations, you won. Yey." She said with obviously fake enthusiasm.

"Can we sit down now and start the interview please? Honestly, my feet are killing me!" The last sentence just slips from her mouth and it totally sounded like she's whining but she didn't offer any apology or excuses for her childish behaviour.

Rukawa gave a half-shrug and went to sit in the nearby bench.

"Ugh! Finally." Mizuki muttered under her breath as she trailed behind him. She slumped into the bench and put her bag besides her to create some sort of barrier between them. Even though there was enough space to fit two more people, she felt like they're sitting too close.

She schooled her expression and swiftly changed her demeanor to more formal and businesslike. Clearing her throat, she began speaking. "As I've mentioned before, the questions that I'm about to ask you were provided by your fans. With all the screaming, ummm," she cleared her throat again, "I mean all the _cheering_ that you received during the game, I am sure you're aware that you have a large fan base in the campus. Once again, thank you for agreeing to do this interview."

She glanced at him and was reminded again on how ridiculously attractive he was up close. And she was only looking at his side profile for cripes' sake. She quickly averted her gaze and pretended to busy herself with the paper in her hands.

Ignoring the hammering in her chest, she clapped her hands together as she announced, "Okay. Let's begin," in an almost shaky voice before playing the red button on her tape recorder.

"First question." She said, refusing to even dare a glimpse in fear of being distracted by his long eyelashes. Or his perfectly chiseled jawline. Or the way his bangs fell – ' _Focus,Mizu!'_ "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" She squeaked.

"No."

"Favorite season?" Luckily, her voice was now back to normal. But her heartbeat is still fluttering like a hummingbird's wings.

Rukawa merely shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Favorite food?"

His only reply was a shrug. Again.

"Favorite movie?" Her voice now sounded strained.

"Hmmm." He mused as he spins the ball on his index finger. She 'patiently' waited for his reply. He then answered with that annoying gesture with his shoulder.

 _'Whose bright idea was it to as_ _k_ _him for an interview again?'_ Mizuki thought sarcastically as she gripped the paper in her hands.

Finally turning to look him, she gritted her teeth and forced a smile. "How about favourite color? You do have one, right?"

 _'Forget how gorgeous_ _he is, his attitude really sucks!'_

Rukawa stopped spinning the ball and stared at her with a rather disinterested expression, though there was an almost amused flicker in his azure eyes.

"I don't have –"

"Ah. Black!" She exclaimed, cutting him off. "It's obvious it's you're favorite color, since you're wearing black today." She declared even though her explanation was quite pointless.

"Next question." She stated as she dropped her gaze back to the sheet of paper in her hand. "Ah, this one. I'm positive you have favorite basketball player, since you're obsessed with the sports and all." She gave him a pointed look as she met his eyes.

"Michael Jordan." He grunted before returning his focus back to the orange ball.

Mizuki mentally chanted 'Hallelujah' when Rukawa finally gave an answer.

"Ok. Let's stop with the 'what's your fave' question." She stated as she flips to the next page.

"Why did you choose Shohoku?"

"It's near my home."

"Of course." She mumbled as she gingerly tucked one leg beneath the other to make herself comfortable.

"What do you do on your free time?" She asked before swiftly adding, "besides basketball and sleeping?"

He leaned against the wall and gave her a sidelong glance. "Eating."

She rolled her eyes. "Besides eating?"

"Listening to music."

Mizuki offered herself a mental high five.

"What's the best thing about being tall? And please don't answer basketball."

"Can easily reach things."

"Yeah, right. Especially convenient for a lazy person like you." She muttered without thinking.

Realizing she said that aloud, she clapped her hand to her mouth. She turned to see Rukawa with both of his eyebrows raised.

"Just kidding. You know, just trying to add humor to the conversation." She scratched the side of her neck like she always did when she felt jittery.

At her sheepish reaction, Rukawa snorted.

" about the disadvantages of being tall?" She asked way too fast for her liking.

Rukawa run a frustrated hand through his hair. "I'm always headless in front of a mirror."

Mizuki blinked at him before bursting into a laugh. "I bet everyone at the cinema hates you." She couldn't help but teased him on his 'misfortune'. "And getting in an airplane must really be a hellish experience for you, considering the lack of leg room."

"Who says I'm taking the economy class?"Rukawa countered.

" Right. How can I forget? Mr. Richie Rich." She gave an unladylike snort before leaning towards him and grinning mischievously. " But tell me, do you hit your head in almost every place?"

"Not as often as you tripping over your own feet," was his reply as he fixed her with an unwavering stare.

Surprised and unable to withstand the intensity of his gaze, Mizuki leaned back, almost losing her balance on the bench. Thankfully, she managed to steady herself and untucked her right leg, allowing blood back into her foot.

"Whatever." She mumbled after a while as she lowered her eyes, letting her hair fall to shield her face and the blush that she was positive was spreading across her face.

"Aaannyyywaayy," She drawled, trying to act nonchalant. "Moving on to the next question."

"What is your greatest goal?"

"To become the number one player in all of Japan." He answered smoothly.

"Motto in life?"

"Failure is not an option."

"You are considered the ace of Shohoku. How did you become a good basketball player?"

"Lots of practice."

"How many shots do you take per day?"

"A thousand."

Mizuki whistled, impressed by the number.

"What do you love most about basketball?"

"Everything," came his slow response.

Mizuki rolled her eyes heavenward praying for a ton of patience. _'Gee. He really was a man of few words.'_

"Care to elaborate?"

Rukawa leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thigh, while switching the ball from one hand to the other.

"The sound of the ball swishing through the net, the thrill of winning, the adrenaline rush when I'm in the court. It's one of the most diverse sports and it's a beauti –" Rukawa grimaced and shifted uncomfortably in his seat when he realized he sounds like a pansy.

Mizuki silently watched the dark haired boy besides him, secretly revelling at the redness that stained the tips of his ears. It's satisfying to know that the usually stoic and cool as cucumber ace of Shohoku was capable of being embarrassed. That he's a human like the rest of them mere mortals. She commit this rare moment where he was the one acting awkwardly into her memory.

She decided to take pity on him and not teased him. "Who doesn't love basketball, right? I, for one, was beginning to have a strong liking to the sport. It's fun to watch, so full of nonstop action and excitement, not to mention you get to wear those cool shoes and of course those amazing slam dunks!" She could feel his eyes on her as she gushed, but she didn't risk taking a peek. Instead, she swiftly proceeded to her next question.

"Who do you most admire in your team?"

There was a pause, and then – "Akagi-senpai."

"Why?"

"He always made great decisions on the court." After a brief pause, he added in a low voice, "He is the heart of the team."

Mizuki nodded her head in understanding before asking, "How about rival? Who do you considered your greatest rival?"

"Sendoh." There was an edge to his voice as he mentioned his rival's name.

"Really? Him?" She said in disbelief. "I dunno. He seems like a happy-go-lucky guy. I never would have pegged him as a serious adversary." She stated in answer to his silent inquiry.

Shrugging her shoulders, she added, "But who am I to judge, when I haven't seen the guy play. He must really be a good player for him to be considered as your greatest rival."

Rukawa's jaw set in a tight line. "I'm better than him."

Mizuki lifted the paper to hide her smile. "If you say so."

"If you didn't play basketball, what sport would you like to play?"

"Baseball?" He replied, unsure.

She couldn't contain the hysterical giggle that burst from her throat. "Sorry, I just –" she said between fits of laughter, "–the sight of you wearing spandex is just so freakin' hilarious."

He merely snorted, and calmly waited for her laughter to subside.

"Next question." She slightly coughed to regain her composure after behaving like a laughing hyena. "What's your greatest fear?"

She could swear that his voice was laced with amusement when he replied, "Frustrated singers whose voice sounded like a cat dying."

Her brows creased in confusion. _'That's his greatest fear? This guy is so hard to read.'_

Pretending not to be intrigued by his answer, (and the fact that it didn't make any sense to her) she continued with her interview. "Next. What is your most terrible memory?"

"Losing against Kainan."

"Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say?"

At his incredulous look, Mizuki shoved the paper in his face. "Hey, don't you go glaring at me. It's a fan question. See? Question no. 35."

He pushed the paper away from his face.

"Well, what's your answer?"

A defeated sigh escaped his lips. "No."

"Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?"

He gave her another incredulous look and with a tinge of annoyance this time.

"Fan question." She singsonged.

He let out a sigh as if to say 'why me?

"Michael Jordan."

"If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?"

Mizuki missed the small smirk that briefly appeared on his lips. "What possessed me to agree to this interview?"

"Whatever." She huffed in response.

"What's the biggest mistake of your life?"

"This interview." He said dryly.

"Hey!" She whirled around to face him, but whatever retort she had in mind immediately clogged in her throat as she got lost in his too blue eyes. She caught the amusement flitting through his features before he schooled his expression into a look of indifference.

She swallowed in an attempt to dispel the dryness in her throat before speaking once more. "Uhhm, what is your most memorable moment?"

"Our victory against Sannoh."

"Ah yes. I've heard all about it. Hanamichi surely made an impression after that game." At the mention of the redhead's name, a question popped into her mind.

"From a scale of 1 to 10, rate Hanamichi Sakuragi's performance."

"Zero." He replied without missing a beat.

She frowned in disapproval as she turned to look at him. "He's not that bad."

"Well?"She asked impatiently when he didn't bother to change his answer.

He fixed her with a flat stare. "Was that a fan question?"

"Ummm, no, it's not, but –" she faltered as she fiddled with her bangs.

"Ah." He dismissed her with a little wave. "I only answer fan questions."

She tilted her head to the side, eyebrows scrunched together as she silently studied him. _'He was making fun of me. Or was he?'_

"Fine." She said through gritted teeth after a second. "You want _your_ fan questions, correct?" She said as she turned in her seat, facing him directly. "Well, here it is," with a challenging gaze, she continued,

"The million dollar question. Every fan of yours wanted to know if you have a girlfriend. Or are you perhaps dating someone?"

Rukawa's eyebrows shot up his forehead.

Giving him a mock stern look, she reminded him not to disappoint his horde of fans.

"No." He finally replied after her persistent asking.

"Are you single by choice or you're just picky? Or maybe -" At his scowl, she quickly shut her mouth. It was not in the questionnaire anyway.

"Your ra- ummm,"She managed to stop herself from saying 'rabid', " your _avid_ fans are curious as to what qualities you are searching for a woman?" She don't know if he remembered but this was the question that he read to her last time when he had mistaken the paper as her love letter to him.

Leaning back, he stretched his long legs out in front of him with the ball resting on his stomach.

"Come on. This question came up like a hundred times. They're dying to know how they can catch your eye."

"Okay. Let's talk about the physical attributes." She said, trying to be helpful. "Do you prefer them with long hair or short hair? Blonde or curly or straight?"

When he still didn't respond, she continued, "How about skills? Is there a particular talent that might attract you? Does she have to be super smart or good at playing a piano or the guitar perhaps? Or must she have the same passion for basketball like you do?"

Patience waning, she snapped her fingers at him. "Hey! Please don't tell me you're sleeping." Because kami help him if he dare doze off on her.

A triumphant grin flashed on her lips when he turned to give a death glare her way. But her triumph was short–lived when the annoyance in his eyes melted away to amusement. He was about to say something awful, she was sure.

"I'm not very particular about talents, as long as she doesn't have two left feet."

Mizuki could feel her entire face burning from the heat of embarrassment. He just has to bring that up, did he?

"Well, excuse me, but we can't all be _perfect_ like you." She said, her voice dripping with obvious sarcasm.

The inquiring look on his face made her bristle even more. "Oh please." Don't pretend that you don't know. Looks, skills, money, you've got it all."

After a moment's silence, Rukawa answered in a low voice. "Not all. I'm also a bad dancer."

In a blink, her irritation morphed into surprise. And his next reply had her jaw falling – literally to the floor.

"Not to mention that I'm failing at every subject." He mumbled as he rested his head against the wall, his eyes closed.

Now, that's something you don't hear everyday – Rukawa admitting his flaws. And it almost sounds like he was trying to make her feel better after insulting her poor dancing skills.

She can't believe she's seeing this different side of him. It was difficult to interpret his actions but she surmised that he was being considerate of her feelings.

And she also can't believe that he witnessed another bout of her crazy antics. What was she thinking dancing like that? And more importantly, what was _he_ thinking when he saw her?

Mizuki don't think she'll be able to live it down.

"So I've heard," was her reply after she managed to pick her jaw from the floor.

She dropped her gaze away from him to read the next question.

"What's the first thing that catches your attention when you see a girl?"

"Her laugh." He said after what seems to be a tense silence.

 _'That's an odd answer.'_ She mused but made no move to pester him for explanation. Instinctively, she runs her tongue across the front of teeth to check if there are any remnants stuck between them of the cookie she stole from Takamiya's table during last period.

Satisfied that her teeth were free from any food particles, she moved to the next fan question. After all, she wouldn't want _'girl had disgusting cookie crumbs between her teeth'_ added to her long list of humiliating moment.

"The color of your eyes is blue. Who among your parents is of foreign blood?"

"My mom."

"She's from where?"

"She's half-British."

"Ohhh. That's wicked, mate!" She exclaimed in English with a British intonation.

Rukawa popped one eye open and snorted at her exaggerated accent. "She was born in Japan."

"Oh," was her only reply. Seriously, what possessed her to do that? She just can't stop acting like a dolt whenever he's around.

"Have you been there?"

"No."

"So, you got your mother's eyes." She said, her mind becoming distracted. Those were the words her father always told her when she asked what her mom looked like.

She could hear her dad's voice loud and clear in her head.

 _'You've got your mom's eyes, applecheeks.'_

"How's the relationship between you and your mom?"

 _'If your mother were here, she would have been so proud of you.'_

"I mean, are the two of you close?"

 _'You two would have become the best of friends.'_

"What was she like?"

 _'She's very funny and she makes the best apple pie in the world.'_

"Is she beautiful?"

 _'She's beautiful inside and out.'_

Several moments of silence ensue before Mizuki realized the words that had escape from her mouth. She swallowed and tried to calm her erratic heartbeat. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Rukawa was no longer leaning against the wall and was in fact, facing her directly. Tugging at her bangs, she glanced nervously at him and noticed his ocean blue eyes watching her attentively.

She turned away from him to hide her blush, and pretended to be fascinated with the basketball ring stand. "Sorry, you don't have to answer. It's not even in the -"

"Yes. I've inherited my mother's blue eyes." Rukawa suddenly said.

"She's a pianist," He added afterwards.

She turned to look back at him. And this time, when her brown eyes met his, she was unable to draw her gaze away. There was no mocking in his azure orbs, the brick wall that he use as an emotional defense was currently gone.

His eyes were thoughtful. Kind. Almost soft looking.

"And she's beautiful inside and out."

Mizuki felt her throat constrict at what she heard. She let her bangs fell across her forehead, casting her face in shadow to hide the tears welling from her eyes.

"I think you're beautiful too, Rukawa-kun. Inside and out." She declared when she finally found her voice.

The slow smile that spread across his face was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yay! Done with the interview at last! So whatcha think? Was it too cheesy for your liking? hehe. I have a hard time with this chapter mostly because I'm not sure how Rukawa will behave during the interview. So, I hope he was not too OOC in this chappie. I was planning on ending it with Rukawa's POV but I wanted to upload it ASAP so maybe I'll just include it in the next chapter or create an outtake for it entitled 'The sound of her Laugh.'

I googled most of the fan questions here, and some are taken from the New York Times 36 Questions on the Way to Love. It's an experiment where strangers were ask to exchange a set of 36 questions and then have 4 minutes of sustained eye contact can result to the two of them falling in love.

Once again, thanks for all your reviews and I apologized if it's taking me too long to update. Hey, it's not easy being a stay at home mom.

In the meantime, here are some Rukawa centered fics that you might enjoy reading while waiting for the next upload.

Poor you by nothingtodo

Maple and Cherry Blossom by skrom

Torn by Jaja

Sleeping Beauty by thirteenchrysanthemums

Sunflower by SapphireELf

And oh, here's a spoiler for the chapter 17: What Sakuragi thought was a harmless, funny little prank ended up putting a dent on his and Mizuki's friendship and possibly blowing what's little left of his chance with his longtime crush, Haruko.

Till next time!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Best-Laid Plans

Beads of sweat drip down like raindrops from Sakuragi's forehead and he could feel his stomach churning from the sight laid before him.

It was staring at him with pitiful eyes, begging for its life to be spared.

Sakuragi clenches his fists, his breathing ragged.

No.

He couldn't do it. He won't do it.

"Do you want me to take over, Sakuragi-kun?" A quiet, nervous voice spoke close to his ear.

He turned his gaze to the bespectacled boy standing beside him. Sakuragi saw his companion's ashen face; and was not surprised with what he saw.

He had seen this look to the throngs of students he had encountered in the hallway who immediately scampered to the sides in order to avoid him.

He recognized that look.

It was fear.

He was thoroughly familiar with how fear looks.

But this time, it was a different kind of fear. Glasses boy was not afraid of him; he was afraid of what the both of them will become if they finally committed this atrocious act.

They will be forced to turn into a murderer.

The redhead shook his head furiously.

No, he will not allow the hands of an innocent person like glasses boy to get stained. Megane-kun is a nice fella - even though he is an amateur when it comes to basketball, he compensates this with his academic skills. After all, he always let him copy his assignment.

He raised the knife in the air, eyes shut tightly, and refusing to even spare a look at the hapless creature sprawled on the marbled table.

He alone will shoulder this heavy burden.

 _'No!'_

His eyes snapped open and the knife fell with a clang.

The rest of the class stopped what they were doing at their lab tables and turned their attention to the source of the noise.

The redhead banged his fists against the black countertop.

"This is wrong." He muttered to himself, brows knitting and fists clenched tightly.

"Is something the matter, Sakuragi-san?" The teacher inquired warily as he approached the table of his troublemaker of a student. Past experiences have taught him to exercise great caution when it comes to dealing with the notoriously volatile redhead and he made sure to put enough distance between the two of them, his eyes alternately looking between Sakuragi and the scalpel on the table.

The teacher was too concentrated on how he will get the sharp object away from his crazy student that he failed to hear the latter's response.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked again, turning back his attention toward his student,

"I said this is wrong!" Sakuragi roared with a fire in his eyes that made the teacher stumbled backwards.

"S-Sakuragi-kun, calm down." Trembling hands reached for his shoulder in an attempt to pacify him but he shrugged them away.

His rage boiled over. "You!" He exploded, pointing his finger at the petrified teacher. "You're supposed to guide us - your students - to the correct path!"

Sweat began to pour off from the older man's forehead. "I'm not … not sure I'm getting what you're trying to say."

"This!" Sakuragi spread his arms wide, his voice filling the room. "This is completely barbaric! I refuse to take part in this brutal killing!"

Kentaro Iishi, the redhead's lab partner, shifted uncomfortably before softly explaining that it's a science experiment.

Sakuragi looked at Ishii sharply that made the latter's face go ashen.

The redhead then turned his gaze to the tiny green creature lying on the dissection tray, its limbs spread out and currently pinned down. His eyes blazed with determination and resolve.

"Screw science!" In one swift movement, he released the pin that was restraining the frog's mobility. Not satisfied, he grabbed the jar containing one slimy creature belonging to the pair of students adjacent to him. "Free the frogs!" He announced as he unscrewed the lid and dumped its content on the cold countertop. The frog fell unceremoniously, unmoving and for a moment, Sakuragi feared that he accidentally killed it. But then, the amphibian started jumping, and one of the girls shrieked loudly when it suddenly hopped in front of her, catching her by surprise.

Instantly, the room turned into utter chaos. The croaking sounds of the frogs and shriek from some of the students - mostly girls, filled the room as the rest of the class followed his lead - either from fear to be on the receiving end of the volatile redhead's ire or maybe because they also share his sentiment and didn't want to dissect those poor amphibians.

Feeling proud of himself, Sakuragi stood in the center of the room as he endlessly chanted "Free the frogs! Free the frogs! Free the frogs!"

The teacher, not knowing what else to do, simply close his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose before exhaling a defeated sigh. "It's too early in the morning for this."

xxxxx

Loud clapping greeted Sakuragi the moment he seated himself in his usual spot in the cafeteria.

"Oh look who has graced us with his presence, the hero of all creatures slimy!"

"Shut up, pork breath." He warned Takamiya before digging into his lunch.

"I must say, I never would have pegged you for a frog rights activist, Hanamichi." Mizuki calmly stated, before ducking her head to take a spoonful of her soup.

The redhead didn't miss the teasing tone and the small, wicked smile that his friend gave him. "Awww, not you too, Mizu-chan!" He whined like a four year old whose toy was taken away from him.

"What?" She inquired in an innocent manner, but her eyes were full of mischief.

Sakuragi shook his head, returning to his food. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"You have no choice, Hanamichi," Mito piped up from beside him as he opens a soda. " _Everyone_ was talking about it." He supplied with a grin.

"Yeah." Noma nodded in agreement. "You now earned a new title besides Dou Ahou and that is-"

"You forgot _the_ court jester." Ohkusu interjected over a mouthful of rice.

"Ah yes. That also." Noma answers. "Sakuragi Hanamichi, Frogs Liberator and Defender of Terrestrial Amphibians." He declared with gesturing hands in a mockingly dramatic fashion.

"Hmm." Sakuragi hummed, nodding as he pressed his chopstick against his lower lip. "Liberator and defender huh? I rather like the sound of it." He stated before shoving a whole tempura in his mouth. Then, remembering something, he shot a scathing glare at Noma. "And what are you even doing here in _our_ table? Aren't you supposed to be eating lunch with your dramarama buddies? Or have they realized their grave mistake and finally kicked you out? I wouldn't be surprised at all." He rambled with his mouth full.

"Nah." Noma shrugged as he took a bite of his apple. "We had it every TTH. Besides, they can't kick me out; I'm the star of the club." He puffed out his chest and declared haughtily.

All occupants of the table vehemently cried out their disgust and disapproval.

As the boys continue with their bickering – to which the topic now shifted to Takamiya winning the bet, Mizuki zoned out of their conversation, her mind elsewhere. Yesterday's event keeps on replaying on her head, and remembering _their_ interaction, she can't help the warm and fuzzy feeling in her stomach. It was the first time she had seen him smile, really smile and even if it's for the briefest moment, it had left her momentarily dazed and breathless.

Unable to control herself, her eyes darted to Rukawa, sitting all alone in a table by the window. A frown formed on Mizuki's face as she watched him eat all by himself. Does he ever feel lonely? He has no friends despite being the most popular boy in school. He had his teammates, sure, but they only interact with him during basketball practice.

Something itches her and she wanted so desperately to carry her food tray and join him in that oh so lonely table. To see that smile again. Because now that she's seen him smile, she craves for it, and she wanted to be the person who could draw it out from him.

This strange yearning terrified her immensely. Because she knew that rejection is bound to happen, that it's inevitable. She's so emotionally fragile now and she don't think she can handle much more.

Mizuki averted her eyes away from him. It was difficult, but she had to. If she allowed herself to stare for too long in his deep, ocean blue eyes, she will surely drown.

xxxxx

Their enemies didn't stand a chance.

Besides having the home court advantage, Shohoku team possessed the greatest player in all of Kanagawa region – Sakuragi 'The Tensai' Hanamichi.

Well, that was according to the redhead himself. He keeps harping on about his superior basketball abilities and mastery of the game, something that the team have already heard a thousand times before.

He only managed to shut up and get on with the warm up drill when Ayako whacked him with her infamous paper fan and further threatened more bodily harm if he won't stop his jabbering.

Sakuragi then headed to the free throw line to practice his shooting form, with Yasuda and Iishii standing under the basket acting as rebounders.

Halfway through the routine, Yasuda unexpectedly spoke up. "Say, Sakuragi-kun…" The third year student started, eyes scanning the crowd. "I noticed that your friend didn't watch practice anymore."

"Huh?" was the redhead's confused reply. "Whatcha talking about, Yasu?" He asked as he deftly caught the ball that Iishi passed to him. He then jerked his thumb in the direction his friends were currently located. "They're all here except for that no good Noma."

The older player swallowed nervously. "Umm..I wasn't talking about, umm, them."

Sakuragi furrowed his brow in concentration as he takes aim of the ball.

"Who, then?" He inquired uninterestedly before releasing the ball.

It went through the net much to Sakuragi's pleasure.

Yasuda retrieved the ball and throw it back to the now smug looking Sakuragi. "I was talking about ,uumm,her …your.. your friend who transferred from, uhh, Chiba."

Sakuragi ignored his senpai's stuttering, still gloating on his 'astounding' free throw.

"You know..." Yasuda continues, his face getting all red and splotchy. "Short hair…Brown eyes…Your best bud Mito's cousin."

The redhead still pays him no heed. Yasuda began to shift on his feet as Iishi gave him a weird look.

"Oh, for the love of all that's holy, Yasuda!" shouted their captain, Ryota Miyagi, who suddenly appeared behind Yasuda, making the latter jumped out in surprise. "Man up and just freaking say her name already." The curly haired boy scoffed, having obviously witnessed his teammate's struggles. He then drifted away to check the other players.

Embarrassed beyond measure, Yasuda's face turned into an even darker red, but he muster all his courage and finally blurted out her name. "Mi-Mi-Mizuki-chan."

Upon hearing her name, Sakuragi stared dumbfounded at his teammate's beet red face. "Eh? Mizu-chan?" He knitted his brows in confusion as he asked, "What about her?"

"I uh-" Yasuda began shakily, clearly panicking now, "It's just that I never saw her during practice anymore… And she's..uhmm.. also not here to watch the game."

Sakuragi paused, looking puzzled by his reaction."Why are you looking for her, anyway?"

"Ah, well.." Yasuda rubbed the back of his neck, clearly agitated. "J-just curious, is- is all."

Sakuragi studies his senpai as he rapidly switches the ball from one hand to the other. "She didn't spill her drinks on you, or anything?" He sighed, shaking his head in a condescending manner. "She can be a total klutz sometimes."

"What? No!" Yasuda almost shouted.

Before the redhead could further question Yasuda's bizarre reaction, his gang of troublemaker's friends ambled over.

The dark haired boy whispered something in Sakuragi's ear to which the latter replied, "Are you sure nobody didn't see you?"

Mito simply raised an eyebrow as if to say 'you dare doubt your best friend?'

"How many?"

"Three," Answered Mito.

"What?" Sakuragi bristled at his friend's reply. "Why so few? I told you to put a dozen of them."

"Are you kidding me? They're too slippery and gross to touch. Besides, it's very difficult to _smuggle_ them in, ya know?"

Sakuragi pursed his lips, contemplating. After a while, he gave a slight nod. "Okay. Fine. Fine." Then, a grin creeps on his face that turned into loud laughter.

Yasuda and Iishi exchanges nervous look. Judging from the wicked laugh coming from Sakuragi , he is definitely planning something mischievous. And they are willing to bet that this involves their stoic ace player, Rukawa Kaede.

"Nyahahahaha!Nyahaha-"

"Hey, Hanamichi! Do you know where Mizu-chan is?" Takamiya interrupted Sakuragi's evil cackling.

"How would I know?" Sakuragi scoffed. "And why is everyone looking for her? Do I look like a freaking lost and found section?"

Mito frowned at Sakuragi's statement. He scanned the place and quickly spotted Rukawa, who was a few meters away and doing some sort of stretching. "Who else was looking for her?" He asks, his eyes not leaving said basketball player.

Sakuragi pointed a finger at Yasuda, who was trying to retreat discreetly.

Mito hadn't expected that at all. He stared at the anxiously looking senior student. He appears to be on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.

It was Ohkusu who confirm Mito's growing suspicions.

"Oooohh!" The blonde exclaimed playfully. "Looks like someone's crushing on little Mizuki."

"What?" Sakuragi spluttered in disbelief.

"It's not – I'm not – just curious, I mean I –" Yasuda rambled, his voice going frantic

Sakuragi stood in shocked silence as he tried to absorb this revelation. It all made sense now. The questioning of her whereabouts, the blushing, the stammering.

When the information finally sinks in, Sakuragi burst into laughter. He rapidly approaches Yasuda, who began to cower in fear, and clapped him hard on the back. "Well, goodluck with that, mate!" The redhead then began to lists many of Mizuki's unattractive traits. "-girl with a personality of a boy, her appetite rivals that of porkchop here," he said, pointing at Takamiya, "you'll get broke trying to feed her. When she's mad at you, she will beat you to a bloody pulp - you can ask her cousin, he's always pissing her off." He declared to which Mito vehemently denied.

Sakuragi can't wait to tell Mizuki this juicy news. Now, he had something on his sleeves, something to tease her mercilessly about. It's payback time.

His musing was abruptly interrupted by a loud whack precisely aimed at the back of his head.

"Enough gossiping like a bunch of old hens and get back to the drill. Game's about to start soon!"

Sakuragi vowed to burn that cursed paper fan of their team manager.

xxxxx

It was another victory for the Shohoku team. The player's locker room was chaotic, mostly filled with lively, happy chatters.

A certain redhead was not joining in the celebration. Sakuragi Hanamichi knew that they're going to win; he already expected their triumph, thanks to him and the 'awesomeness' he had shown in court. But if his plans went accordingly today, this will make his victory all the more sweeter.

Upon arriving in his locker, he quickly dish out the camcorder he borrowed from Ohkusu, and not even being a slight bit discreet about it, he positioned the camera facing Rukawa's locker. As the dark haired man approached his compartment, Sakuragi zoomed in and pressed the record button. He waited as Rukawa began to dial his locker combination.

 _'Any moment now.'_ He slowly drew in his breath in anticipation. _'You, Rukawa Kaede, will be the laughing stock of all of Japan. Once they see this video, once Haruko-chan sees this, she will be completely turned off by you.'_

This idea all started when they are about to release the frogs into the pond located at the back of the school premises. Takamiya, being the glutton that he is, suggested that they should just cook the frogs instead. His logic being that these creatures will still be hunted and ended up as a victim of a bloody experiment. According to the portly guy, it will be less cruel for the frogs because they will think that they're simply having a nice, _hot_ , relaxing bath. Sakuragi had to kick him out to oblivion after he said that.

And as he gazed at the frogs frolicking in the water, an idea formed into his head. Perhaps his newfound green friends wouldn't mind paying a certain ugly fox a surprise visit.

Sakuragi gripped the camcorder tightly in his hand. He better capture Rukawa's reaction when he finally discovers the frogs lurking in his locker. The redhead stifled a giggle, imagining his rival's hilarious response. He'd be willing to bet the kitsune will shriek like a scared little girl, further cementing his theory that Rukawa is most definitely gay.

Sakuragi stared intently at the camera screen as the raven haired boy swung the locker door open.

 _'This is it.'_

The face of one Toki Kuwata, suddenly appeared on the screen.

"Sakuragi-kun! Great game today, huh?" The sandy haired boy chirped, smiling down brightly at his camera.

"What the? You're blocking my view, Toki!" Sakuragi shouted, shoving the frightened boy away.

But the opportunity was lost in those few seconds. He mentally cursed, all the hard work and scheming ended up for naught.

"I'm- I'm s-sorry, Sakuragi-kun."

Sakuragi rubbed his free hand across his face and sighed in exasperation. "Never mind."

"But what are you recording anywa – oh!"

Sakuragi notices the abrupt stop in Toki's speech, and he frowned when he saw the latter's muddled expression.

He followed his gaze and Sakuragi nearly dropped the camcorder from his hand.

The sight in front of them was utterly revolting and gross that Sakuragi had shuddered in obvious disgust.

What the heck?

The stinking fox was currently shirtless.

What the heck!

He needed to find a Lysol ASAP to douse his eyes with.

xxxxx

Apparently, there's no more need for Lysol as Haruko's smiling face was enough for Sakuragi to completely eradicate the ghastly image of Rukawa's naked chest.

They were walking side by side, headed to the metro station. It was already planned days before that the two of them are going to the town center to look for a gift for Ohkusu's birthday tomorrow. It wasn't a date but Sakuragi couldn't help wishing that it was one. For now, he's going to cherish every second of the time spent with her.

It usually took him five minutes to reach the school from the station, but Sakuragi wasn't in a hurry at the moment. After a long, leisure walk, they finally arrived at the station, much to the redhead's displeasure.

Oh well, there is still the metro ride and then the trip to the mall. He just needs to feign difficulty in searching for the perfect gift to Blondie. Maybe he can ask her to have dinner with him afterwards. He felt giddy at the thought.

There are no more available seats inside the train car, but it wasn't overly crammed. Not that he notice because everything seems to fade away when he was with Haruko. He can only see her.

Sakuragi hoisted his duffel bag onto his shoulder while his other hand reached for the grab bar overhead as the train began to move, his full attention fixed upon Haruko. He listened attentively as she describes today's game, the smile never leaving his lips. The topic then shifted to Ohkusu's party and she then made a suggestion of baking some cupcakes.

"But I have to warn you, I'm still a newbie in this whole baking stuff." Haruko informed him with a shrug,

"Nonsense, Haruko-chan. I'll eat anything that you prepared. Nyahahaha!" He gave a loud laugh, unmindful of the other passengers' stares.

A plump woman wearing heavy makeup, whose seat was in front of the pair, gave the oblivious redhead a disapproving scowl before returning to the book before her.

"But you don't need to bother yourself with that, Haruko-chan. We're going to buy him a gift already." He reminded her. But the truth is he just didn't want to share her cupcakes with anyone. Especially with that greedy pig, Takamiya.

"What do you think we should get him? I don't really know Ohkusu that well."

He scratched his chin as if contemplating his answer. "Maybe we can check the manga section in _Kibukinoya_." 

Haruko let out a giggle. "It's Kinokuniya, Sakuragi."

"Ah, of course! I was just trying to be funny. Hehe." He joked, trying to make light of his embarrassment. "Um, what's your favorite manga, by the way?"

"I don't really read manga. But I do watch Sailormoon."

"Ooohh. I will punish you in the name of the moon!" Sakuragi said, mimicking the heroine's high pitched voice.

This earned another giggle from the assistant team manageress.

"Oh, wait! I almost forgot!" The redhead abruptly announced. "Speaking of Mizu-chan," he turned to unzipped the duffel bag slung over his shoulder, "she asked me to return this pen that she borrowed from you."

"Now, where is it?" He mumbled to himself as he began rummaging on his bag.

His brows knitted in befuddlement when his fingers came in contact with something slippery.

Something's not right here.

He opened the bag wide and peered inside.

"Ribbit".

Sakuragi blinked at the creature inside his bag.

It blinked back at him.

"What the heck?"

"What is it?" Haruko asked, her voice tinged with concern. "What's wrong, Sakuragi-kun?" She cranes her neck to take a look at his bag, but Sakuragi abruptly pulled it away from her prying eyes. The sudden action only led to the contents of his bag spilling out. Notebooks and pens came flying out, along with several green frogs he instructed the gang to put inside the kitsune's locker.

Sakuragi watched in horror as one of the frogs landed on top of one of the passenger's head.

"Oh shit," was the last words the redhead had uttered before a piercing scream filled the train car.

xxxxx

Everything was really going well. His team won the game; he's spending the rest of his afternoon with Haruko, they were having a great time.

But now, _this_ happened.

Sakuragi blamed himself but mostly Rukawa for their current predicament.

He glanced down at Haruko sitting beside him, her shoulder hunched and head bowed. He clenched his fists when he heard her sniffing, his heart breaking at the sound.

 _'Kami, I made her cry!'_

He had explained a hundred times to the woman that it was an accident, that someone had made a prank on him by putting the frogs in his duffel bag. Still, the woman kept on shouting - spits flying everywhere, getting all hysterical and demands that the police be called in.

They were cited for loud and boisterous conduct on train, disrupting the train service, and inflicting harm to other passengers.

Sakuragi insisted that Haruko is innocent, but the woman won't hear any of it. She demanded that they should be punished, and said something about kids these days turning into bunch of delinquents.

He had to summon all his self-control not to strangle her.

Haruko's parents arrived, both wearing concerned expressions. They can't believe that their soft spoken daughter was causing ruckus in the train which caused the woman to scoffed and remarked about letting their daughter associate herself with fools and troublemakers.

Sakuragi's face twisted into a scowl.

Haruko's parents turned to look at him and he saw recognition dawned in their eyes.

"You're Hanamichi Sakuragi, one of my son's teammate, am I correct?" Haruko's dad asked, his eyes piercing. Sakuragi observed that he reminded him of Captain Gori, not in the looks department, of course, but in his stern and steely demeanor. (Sometimes – no scratch that – he _always_ wondered if Gori is perhaps adopted.)

"Yes sir." Sakuragi replied with a bow and try to make himself appear respectable. He is talking to his future in laws after all.

Before his _father in law_ could further asks any questions, the door opened and a dark haired, slender woman in her late thirties peered inside. "Hi, is my son in here?"

Sakuragi mentally cursed. He didn't have to look at his mother to know that she was drunk; her slurred voice was enough indication.

"Come in, Mrs. Sakuragi," said the officer in charge.

All eyes were on Sakuragi's mom as she entered the room. It didn't escape their notice that she was currently intoxicated.

"Now, now, Hana-kun, what did you do this time, eh?" She asked her son.

Sakuragi remained silent; he was too upset to answer her.

It was the officer who answered her query. "Your son and his friend were brought up for misdemeanor charges. They caused train disruption by bringing frogs and releasing them inside the carriage, causing the passengers to panic."

Mrs. Sakuragi's eyes widened before breaking into a fit of drunken giggles.

"Stop that, Ma!" Sakuragi rubbed his face in frustration.

"Sorry." She said, not looking the least bit sorry at all. Her eyes then found Haruko. "And who is this lovely lady?"

When she found out that the girl's name was Haruko, Mrs. Sakuragi raised her brows and turned to give her son a meaningful look.

 _'Please don't say anything.'_ He pleaded with his eyes, but this only made his mom smile wickedly.

But before he got to hear whatever comments his mother was about to say, the woman who made the complaint spoke scathingly. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Sakuragi doesn't know what the statement means, but based on his mom's livid demeanor and narrowed eyes, the woman must have said something insulting.

Thankfully, his mother ignored the woman's jibe. Maybe she was not that drunk.

After a series of negotiations, charges were dropped largely through Haruko's father's effort and effective diplomatic skills.

As they exited the building, Sakuragi knew that whatever chances he might have with Haruko was all ruined now.

Looking for anything to vent his anger on, his thoughts turned to Rukawa.

This was entirely his fault. He's the one who put the frogs inside his bag, he was sure of it. The ugly fox was trying to get back at him.

But he will make sure that he will get the last laugh.

He will get his revenge one way or another.

 **A/N** : A warning in advance, the next chapters are going to be a bit angsty. So if you don't like stories filled with teenage angst, you better steer clear of this fic. Til next time!


End file.
